Kidnapped!
by iluvstabler
Summary: NEXT CHAPTER'S UP! The SVU team is in a desperate search for Elliot, after he is kidnapped by someone from his past out for revenge! Can they find him in time, or will it be too late? My first fanfic ever....reviews greatly appreciated!
1. Trouble at the office

"Get your ass in my office NOW, Stabler!" Detective Stabler looked up from his desk where he was going over a case with his partner. Olivia raised her eyebrows, wondering what the captain could have been so angry about. Elliot slowly got up from his desk, as he made his way towards the captain's open office door. Elliot jumped slightly as the door slammed behind him.

"Something wrong, Captain?"

"Don't play innocent with me. What the hell were you thinking, Detective?"

"Wha-"

"Shut your mouth, Stabler. Who do you think you are that you can physically harass a suspect in a rape? I just got my ass chewed out by MY boss, demanding to know why one of my detectives would assault a rape suspect!"

"Captain, I have no idea what you are talking about. Who? When?"

"Last night. Jason Branson...Where were you last night Elliot?"

"I was home alone, but I didn't go near Branson, that's not even my case."

"Well, his lawyer called my boss this morning, ranting about why his client needed stitches; and they have a witness, Elliot! Now, tell me the truth...where were you last night!"

"Captain. Honest! I have no idea what your talking about."

"I want to believe you Stabler, but you can't deny it when they have a witness who places you as the one who assaulted Branson. Now, his lawyer is filing for a mistrial!"

"Captain, I--"

The captain's face was just inches away from Elliot's.

"I don't want to hear it Detective! If I hear another word out of your mouth, you'll hand in your badge and your gun. First, you go and assault a suspect that wasn't even your case, and then you come into my office and lie to me! I am suspending you for three days, effective immediately, until IAB can look into this further."

"Ca-"

"Get the hell of my precint Detective!"

Elliot stormed out of Cragen's office, picking up his jacket on the back of his chair as he left. He ignored Olivia's questioning glance, as she rose to meet him as he left Cragen's office.

"Elliot, what's wrong?"

"Leave him alone, Benson. You are on desk duty unit Elliot gets back from his three day suspension."

"What? Why? Why was he suspended?"

"None of your damn business Detective! Now I believe that there is a pile of paperwork that needs to be done, so get busy!"

Olivia hurriedly returned to her work, wondering why the captain was so angry. She hadn't seen him like this in a long time. What had Elliot done?


	2. Chapter 2

Elliot drove towards his apartment confused by the events that had just taken place. He was trying to process what the captain had just accused him of, and couldn't believe he was suspended for three days. Elliot stopped by the store to pick up groceries on his way home, tempted to go back to the precint and find out what was going on. But he knew that he could not. Cragen was mad enough as it was with him, he didn't need to give the captain any further reasons to suspend him.

As Elliot stepped into his apartment with his groceries, he thought he heard a noise coming from his bedroom but decided that it was nothing. As he placed the bags on the kitchen counter he heard another noise coming from his bedroom. Elliot pulled out his gun, carefully maneuvering his way toward his room. When he opened the door, he stood in shock of who he saw.

"Jason Branson! What the hell are you doing in my house? Get your hands up!"

"I think not Detective Stabler."

Elliot was about to go towards Branson, but he felt sudden, sharp pain come across his head. Elliot looked around wildly, as he dropped to his knees from the pain. He saw two armed men come from behind him, as Branson came face to face with Elliot.

"You don't remember me, do you Detective?"

Elliot didn't have time to respond, as the butt of one the accomplices guns came across his temple. As Elliot fell to the ground, he couldn't help but succumb to the darkness that called out to him.

Cragen was writing a disciplinarian action in Stabler's file when he received a phone call.

_"Elliot"._ he thought. "_Why the hell is he calling me?"_

As soon Cragen answered his phone, the caller hung up. Cragen decided the call was a mistake and went back to Elliot's paperwork. His phone rang again. He saw it was Elliot again. Cragen picked up his phone furious that Elliot would hang up on him.

"Stabler, you have a lot of nerve to hang up on your superior officer after you had just been suspended!"

The phone suddenly hung up again, before Cragen could say anymore.

_" That's it!" he thought. "I am going to his apartment, and charge him with insubordination!"_

The entire ride to Elliot's apartment was a blur, as the captain was so furious over Stabler's behavior. The captain practically ran up the stairs towards Elliot's apartment, banging on the door loudly.

"Open up, Elliot!"

The captain was suprised to find that the door was already partially open. He slowly opened the door, and began walking throught the apartment, noticing the abandoned groceries on the counter. When Cragen came to the bedroom door, he opened it carefully. Then his eyes grew wide with horror as he saw blood covering the carpet. It took him only a second for his eyes to focus on a single piece of paper next to the pool of blood.

Cragen read silently, _"A person's past always comes back to haunt him."_

Cragen took out his cell phone and called CSU to see if they could find anything at the crime scene that would help him find Elliot. Once they arrived, it was now his responsibility to return to SVU and tell the rest of the team.

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The eyes of Fin, Benson, Munch, and Huang were filled with horror as Cragen described to them what had happened. Each one was determined to do whatever needed to help bring Elliot back safely to SVU. Before anyone could speak, Alex Cabot ran into Cragen's office not bothering to knock. She had no idea that Elliot was missing.

"Captain! I just found out that the rape that was committed by Jason Branson was a fake. The vic lied about the whole thing. But that's not all. I found files that connect Branson and the 'vic' to a case Elliot lead five years ago."

The captain sat down on his desk in light of the news that the ADA had given him.

The captain looked the ADA in the eyes. "What case?"

"Well, apparently, he was working undercover with a gang of local terrorists. They raped and murdered a dozen girls before Elliot could infiltrate the gang and arrests could be made. He testified at the trial, and the leader of the group, Ron Daniels, got 20 years in prison. But evidently he was released 3 months ago on good behavior. His parole officer hasn't seen him since, and he has been on the top of the FBI most wanted list since."

Olivia was stunned. "So how is Branson and the 'vic' connected to this?"

The ADA continued, "Branson is Ron's half brother, and the 'vic' is his wife."

Cragen casts his eyes on his desk and his heart sank as he saw Elliot's file lying on his desk with a newly written disciplinarian report in the file. Cragen put his hands in his face and couldn't help but think that he sent Elliot into the hands of his kidnappers and into death's embrace.

_OK. That it for that chapter. Reviews greatly appreciation! Any advice?_


	3. A phone call and an email

Elliot woke up, wondering what happened. All he knew is that his head hurt like hell. He tried to move out of his uncomfortable position but found that his hands were handcuffed behind his back, and his feet were also bound together. Then the events from his apartment came back to him...Branson...the two men...the blow to the head. He wondered what was going on as he looked around in the darkened room, but didn't have to wait for long. Elliot heard the door to the room he was lying in open. He fluttered his eyes as they adjusted to the sudden burst of light from the hallway.

"I see our favorite Detective is now awake." The sinister man bent down and looked at Elliot with hatred in his eyes. "So do you remember me, Detective?"

Elliot's eyes widened as he took in the face of his kidnapper. He couldn't believe who he was looking at.

"Ron Daniels. I thought you were in prison."

"Oh, I was Detective. They let me out early on good behavior. But the five years I was in that hell hole I couldn't help but think about the man who put me away...you. So now Detective, you are going to repay what you did to me; but by the time I am done with you, you are going to wish you had merely sat in prison."

With that, Ron brought back his steel toed boot and kicked Elliot on his bare chest. As Elliot cried out in pain, Ron again brought his boot into Elliot's ribs, smiling sinisterly as heard the detective's ribs crack under the pressure.

"I'm just getting warmed up Stabler. I'll be back soon to talk to you again. I have a phone call to make."

With that, Ron walked out the room. He held Elliot's cell phone in his hand, calling back the last number that he had dialed.

_"It's time to let the games begin." Ron thought._

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_back at the precint..._

Cragen was still in shock as he continued to stare at Elliot's file. The rest of his team had already left his office, and was in a panic to find their friend. Cragen was pulled out of his state when his cell phone rang. He looked down and couldn't believe who it was.

_"Elliot?"_ The captain quickly answered the phone. "Elliot, where are you? Everyone is wor---" The captian stopped midsentence as the voice on the other end laughed.

"This is not the Detective. But you may find the website that is being sent to your email account profitable."

With that, the caller hung up. Cragen looked back at the phone for a second and then rushed to his computer. He pulled up his messages just as a new email came across his screen. He clicked on the attached file and read carefully. "_Detective Stabler does not have long to live. Will you find him in time? Let the games begin!"_ With that, a live feed fed to his screen of Elliot lying on the ground in a darkened room, groaning slightly from pain. Cragen jaw tightened as he saw a man in a mask approach Elliot, kicking and punches him multiple times. Cragen held back the tears as he called out to his detectives working outside his office.

"Detectives! Huang! Cabot! The group came running into his office.

"We just got a message from the kidnappers by way of Elliot's cell phone and my email account." With that, he turned his computer screen so it would face the group. The group in the room saw the live feed in time to see the masked man kick Elliot in the ribs and stomach once again. A tear rose up in Olivia's eye as she saw her partner gasp for air, as another kick to his ribs had Elliot falling unconscious. The rest of the SVU team eyes were filled with horror at the sight of one of their own. A single thought rose into the mind of everyone who filled the room..."Would they find Elliot in time?"


	4. Last Chance

_OK. Thanks for the reviews so far...ya'll are great! I would LOVE if ya'll gave me more reviews though...it IS my first fanfic._

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Elliot slowly opened his eyes, feeling pain with every breath. He wondered how long he was unconscious. Or better yet, if anyone knew he was even there. Since Cragen had just suspended him for three days, no one would really be looking for him until then. He looked around the room to see if there was anything that could help him escape, but Elliot quickly noticed that he was the only thing in the room.

_"Damn it." he thought."How am I going to get out of here?"_

Elliot then heard the door open to his room and tried to sit up to face his kidnappers. He noticed that Ron Daniels had entered the room, along with Branson and another man with a gun.

"Ahhh...Detective! I'm glad you are awake! How 'bout we play a little game? You will be happy to hear that SVU already knows of your kidnapping. But the fun part of my game is, will they find you in time? What do you think Elliot? Will your friends find you in time, or will they just find their friend dead in an abandoned warehouse? You know, I don't think you knew who you were up against when you decided to lock me away. You didn't suspect a thing when we used my new wife to report a rape, and then set up Branson as the suspect. We knew that it was the only way to get close to you without you realizing it. Then we paid someone who I grew up with to say he witnessed you attack Branson. And then to have your captain suspend you...well, that was just an extra bonus. But the real bonus is watching you suffer. You spend so much time helping so-called victims trying to understand their pain. But tell me...how does it feel to become a victim Detective?"

"Go to hell Daniels."

"Oh, come on Detective. That was really not the answer I was looking for."

With that, Ron brought a baseball bat that Elliot had not seen across his back. Elliot cried out in pain threatening to fall unconscious once again. Elliot managed to remain awake, but was suddenly regrettful that he did not succumb to the darkness as he saw the men pull out a long black whip. As the man with the gun drew the whip over his head to strike Elliot, the detective couldn't help but grimace at the thought of more pain being inflicted to his already fragile body. As the first round of blows were dealt, Elliot could not help but scream out in pain as each welt developed over his body. As the man continued to beat Elliot, the welts soon began to bleed, and Elliot could feel his body grow weaker with each new blow. After what seemed like an eternity, the man laid down his whip only to continue to punch Elliot all over his broken body. As the pain enveloped him, Elliot saw darkness creep around him, and gladly ran toward the darkness as it was his only escape from his tormentors and the pain.

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Olivia sat at her desk thinking about what had happened to her partner. It had been four days since Elliot disappeared, and they were not any closer then when they had started.

"Olivia." She looked up and saw Munch walking towards her. "We are all about to watch the feed and see if we can hear or see anything that will help us find Elliot."

Olivia jumped at the chance to catch a lead. So far, every road they had taken was a step in the wrong direction. They had checked practically every building in New York that would of had a connection with Branson or Ron, but found nothing. Evidently, they were at some location that was either so remote that no one knew about, or somewhere where SVU would never think to look. This feed was the only connection they had with Elliot, and now they were using it as a last resort to find him. The captain had only allowed them to watch the feed one other time, so she had no clue what to expect when she saw the feed again. Olivia walked into the captain's office where Fin, Munch, Huang, and the captain were crowded around the computer with a horrified expression on their faces. Olivia looked at the screen but could only see Elliot lying on the floor unmoving.

"What happened guys? Is something wrong with Elliot?"

Fin looked up from the screen unable to answer. The group of men had just witnessed Elliot being beaten with the baseball bat, the whip, and eventually, the man's fists. They could tell by Elliot's shallow, labored breaths that he was seriously injured and could not take much more abuse. The men suddenly had a newfound urgency to find anything that could help find their friend. As Elliot remained unconscious, they hurriedly began to review feed that was their only connection to their friend.

_OK. Chapter was a little short...I know. But I was just SO busy today, that this was all I could get out. Be better next time. Review please._


	5. Hope?

_ok. I am trying to write this chapter while I am doing homework. Sorry if it's not as good. Really busy with finals coming up this week._

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"Captain, I'd like the chance to sit down and talk with you, Munch, and Fin."

Cragen looked up at Huang, "Why? And why would you need ME to get counseling?"

"First of all, your blaming yourself because you suspended Elliot. You feel that if you didn't suspend him, he wouldn't have gone to his apartment and been kidnapped. Then Munch and Fin blame themselves because they were working on the Branson case, and didn't find the connection between Daniels and the vic. Not only that, you and your detectives saw Elliot being tortured. I think that there might be some emotional trauma."

"I appreciate you trying to analyze us Huang, but don't you think that this should wait til after we find him? Right now we are too busy trying to find him before he dies. An hour session with you is an hour we wasted in trying to find Elliot."

"I understand...Uhhh...captain? What do you think the chances are that we will find Elliot in time? He has been missing for over a week now."

"Listen. As long as we have this feed, there is still a slim chance. Under normal circumstances, anyone else would probably already be dead. But Elliot will stay alive just to piss Branson and Daniels off...he is as stubborn as they come."

"Have you found anything on the feed yet?"

"No. Not yet. He could be anywhere. All that we are able to see is the room Elliot's in and he's the only thing in there. Daniels didn't send the feed to help us find Elliot. He only sent it to mess with us and so we could see them torture him...he knew there was no way we would be able to find Elliot with the feed."

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Elliot's hope of being found were getting dimmer as each hour passed. It has been over a week since he had been captured, and he thought Olivia and the others would have found him by now. He hadn't been fed since they had thrown him in the tiny room, and they had only given him some water two or three times. Elliot knew that he could not hold on much longer. He had tried desperately looking for an escape since he had arrived, but knew it was pointless since his hands and feet were still bound. Each time the door opened, he knew that more pain was coming. He cringed with fear when he heard the door open once again.

"How are you feeling Stabler? You don't look so good." An evil, sinister smile came across Daniel's face. "You know, you should really take better care of yourself. You aren't looking so good...you should really eat something."

Elliot could barely respond,"What do you want from me Daniels? Haven't you had enough?"

"Well, to answer your last question, no, I haven't had enough. And what do I want from you? All I want is to watch you suffer and watch you die. That's not too much to ask is it? Anyways, you don't have much longer to live."

"They'll find me before then."

"Are you certain Detective? It's been over a week now and still no one is here to save you. But you're right, they will find you...but you won't be alive when they do."

With that, Elliot mentally tried to prepare his body for the new wave of pain that he knew was coming. As Branson and Daniels began to beat Elliot, Elliot couldn't help but wonder if maybe Daniels was right. Maybe SVU would not reach him in time.


	6. Olivia's Dream

_Olivia stood up and placed a single white rose on the casket. She stood there and looked at the picture of her partner with sad eyes. She had failed him. She had not found him and in time, and she blamed herself...she should have been there for him. She had been inconsolable since they had found Elliot's body. The rest of the SVU was no better than she. As she stood there staring at her partner, Cragen came behind her and put a hand on her shoulder. She looked up and saw that he had tears running down his face and seemed as if he had aged ten years. Cragen was still certain he was the one who was to blame for Elliot's death, and Munch and Fin were certain that if they had been better detectives they could have found the connection before it was too late. Just as she turned to comfort the captain, a shot rang out in the crowd. A dark liquid began to form around the captain's abdomen. Olivia screamed out as a new nightmare began._

Olivia suddenly jerked awake and sat up quickly. She looked around the room, and found that it was just a dream. Tears were streaming down her face as she began to think of Elliot. She knew that they had to find them soon if there was any hope. It was only 4:30am, but Olivia got dressed and headed down to the precint, knowing that she could not sleep without having nightmares of what was happening to Elliot, and what could happen to him.

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Cragen was looking over notes from Ellio's case when Olivia walked in.

"Benson, you're here early."

"Couldn't sleep sir."

"Me neither Detective. Neither could Munch or Fin. They got here about 20 minutes ago. I put some paperwork on your desk to look over. It has to do with Elliot's case."

As Olivia walked out the door to look over Elliot's case, Cragen's phone began to ring. He looked down alarmed by what he saw. Elliot's cell phone.

"Detectives, get in here! And bring that tracing equipment with you, it's the kidnappers." The team had everything set up in under a minute.

"Cragen."

"Ahh...Captain! So nice to talk to you again. How are things down at the precint?"

"Where's Elliot?"

"Don't worry, you will be reunited with him soon. I just called to let you know that Elliot has less than 24 hours to live. I want to make sure you are watching the feed when he dies." With that, the caller hung up.

"Did we get anything?"

"No, he was off the phone too quickly, but we might be able to trace it to one cell tower." Munch replied.

"Ok. Get the electronics in here so we can see if we can get anything off the call."

_one hour later..._

Olivia, Munch, Fin, and Huang were crowded around the electronics equipment. Tracing the cell phone to one tower was impossible to do since the kidnappers were not on the phone long enought to trace the call. The detectives were ready to move to a new method of finding Elliot, when all of the sudden there eyes grew wide and they called out.

"Captain, I think we found something."

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	7. Elliot's PoV

_Ok. Sorry for the delay. I had some final exams for college yesterday and was cramming for those. I have some exams next Tuesday and Thursday too, so I'll be really busy. Yeah! It's almost Christmas break! Thanks for your patience._

_This section is written by request from Elliot's PoV. Here it goes..._

I really can't remember where I am or why I'm here anymore. Over these last two weeks, my thoughts and my memories seem to be fading away. Every now and then a face will flash before me, but everything else is just a distant mirage. I had been here for two weeks now. At least I think it has been two weeks, hell, it could have been two months. The only way that I am able to keep track of how long I have been here is the beatings. I know that everyday Branson, Daniels, and a few of their men will come into my windowless room four times a day, and torture me with whatever they could find. At first, it was only the kicking and punching. But with each new day, it just got worse. I thought that the kicking and punching were painful enough, but then they started to use baseball bats, knives, and fire, and I soon wished that all they did was kick and punch me. At least once a day Daniels would take a knife and slowly cut all over my body. Then he would hold me down as Branson took fire and sealed the bleeding knife wounds so I would not bleed to death.

I would have sworn that my friends back at SVU would have found me by now...I can't really remember there names though. All I can think about is the pain. I know that I am losing this battle. When Branson first kidnapped me, I thought that I would be home again in a few hours. Never would I have thought that I would die at the hands of someone out for revenge. I don't know if my body will take much more pain and torture. The next time that Branson and Daniels come in here to beat me, they may very well get their final revenge.

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_Back at the precint..._

"Captain! Quick! We found something!" Cragen came running through his office door panting and out of breath.

"Olivia, what is it? Please tell me you found something...anything!"

Munch spoke up, "We did, Cap."

"Well, what is it Olivia?"

"Well, we couldn't get a trace to when the kidnappers called you last time, but you already knew that. So instead of focusing on Daniels, we decided to listen to background noises and see if there was anything there. We knew it was a long shot for him to slip up like that, but listen!" Olivia turned up the volume to the electronic device that her, Munch, and Fin had sat around all day. "Do you hear it Captain?"

"Is that a fire engine?"

"Yes. And when you listen more closely, you can also hear a school bell in the distance. Now all we have to do is find out what fire station got a call early this morning, and narrow it down to which station is near a school. It still may leave us with a handful of places to check, but at least it narrows it down."

"Good work, Detectives. This is exactly the type of lead we were looking for. You three head down to the 911 call center, and ask to see their records from this morning. When you have the records, bring them back here. In the meantime, I will contact the SWAT team and tell them to get ready to bring Elliot home."

As his three Detectives rushed past him to get to the 911 call center, Cragen couldn't help but wonder if they had found the lead in time.


	8. Warehouses

911 Call Center...

Olivia, Munch, and Fin raced into the 911 call center. There adrenaline was pumping in overdrive now as this was the only lead they had found since Elliot disappeared. Olivia raced up to the front desk.

"Hey. I'm Detective Benson. This is Detectives Munch and Fin. We called about seeing the records from calls you had two weeks ago."

"Sure Detectives. The boss is expecting you. He's on the second floor." The three detectives raced to the elevators.

"Detectives. I've been expecting you. I'm Michael Gray."

Olivia rushed up to Gray, "Mr. Gray. Can you tell us when a emergency call was put out early morning two weeks ago to a fire department?"

"Sure. Just come over to the computer. About what time do you want to know about?"

"Between 5:30am and 5:45am two weeks ago today."

"Ok...just let me put this into the computer...and here you go. Five calls were made around that time."

"Great. Now can you tell us how many of those stations that got a call are right by a school."

"Of course. But it might take a few minutes...what do you guys need this information for? I see you are from Special Victims, was there a rape?"

"No. Two weeks ago one of our Detectives, Elliot Stabler, was kidnapped. His kidnappers called to tell us that we would not find him in time and that they were going to kill him. We couldn't trace the call, but when we analyzed it further, we heard a fire engine start in the background, and then a school bell ring. So far, it's our only lead." Silence fell over the room as Michael Gray digested what Olivia just said. He looked at the other two detectives standing beside her and could see their pain.

"I am very sorry. I really hope you catch the bastards who did this." At that moment, the information appeared on the screen. "You're in luck, only two of the fire departments are near a school. I'll just print these out for you. I hope you find your friend." The detectives thanked Mr. Gray and sped back to tell Cragen the news.

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_back at the precint..._

Fin, Munch, and Olivia rushed into the Captain's office.

"Captain! The computer narrowed it down to two areas. But-----" The captain had just hung up the phone with the SWAT leader.

"Ok. Good work Detectives. The SWAT team is getting ready to move in. Is there any way to narrow that list to just one. I'm afraid we really don't have time for more than that. Elliot seems to be in pretty bad shape." They all looked on Cragen's computer screen where the live feed was still visible. Elliot was not moving.

Olivia handed the Captain the files..."But, as I was saying, we had already checked and cleared one of the areas. So that only leaves one." In light of the new news, Cragen jumped up from his chair and called back the SWAT leader.

"Hey, this is Captain Cragen. We narrowed it down to one area." After Cragen hung up the phone, he grabbed his gun, "Ok Detectives, let's bring Elliot home."

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_At some warehouse in NYC..._

"Captain!" The SWAT leader ran up to Cragen. "We have the whole area blocked off. No one gets in or out without us knowing it. We have snipers posted on the roofs just in case. We have the blueprints for the warehouses. Since you and your detectives didn't hear anything else in the background, we are assuming that the warehouse is abandoned. So, we narrowed it down to two of them. We are going to enter one warehouse at a time, and search through that one before moving on to the next one. Our teams our standing by, ready for your order Captain."

"Well, don't just stand there! GO!"

With the Captain's command, the SWAT team burst into the first warehouse, guns drawn. The Captain and his three detectives moved behind the team with their own guns drawn. The warehouse was dark and musty. They moved quietly hoping to suprise Daniels and Branson. As they moved through each room of the warehouse, they could feel their hearts pounding against their chests. Then a voice came over the radio.

"All clear, the building is secure." Then the voice of the SWAT leader came over the radio.

"Ok. Pull back. We are ready to storm the second warehouse. Snipers ready? SWAT team ready? GO! GO!" With those words, the SWAT team bust through the door of the second warehouse, praying that this was indeed, the right location.


	9. PoV's

_Ok guys. Sorry about that little delay...1 final exam down, and 4 more to go...I hate exams! Ya'll have been great so far! Thanks! _

_This is just a chapter on PoV. Thought I'd let ya'll have more suspense! Enjoy!_

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Olivia's PoV...

My heart was racing erratically. When they had entered the first warehouse, I was sure that they would have found Elliot. I dared not lose hope that Elliot would be in the second warehouse, but I also did not want to think that Elliot would be in the next warehouse because I could not take the pain if I learned he was in fact not.

Over the past two weeks, my emotions have been all over the place. At first, I was shocked. How could someone kidnap my partner? Then, I was angry. Angry at myself for not being there for him, angry at Cragen for suspending him, angry at his kidnappers. Hell, for a moment there, I was even mad at Elliot for allowing this to happen. But I know that this is not his fault. He didn't see any of this coming. I can not imagine the fear Elliot must have felt in that moment when he realized what was happening. And I can not imagine the pain he must be going through. If I have to kill Daniels and Branson myself, I will get justice for Elliot Stabler.

The precint has not been the same since he has been gone. Yes, most detectives had gone back to their regular duties, but a dark, ominous cloud hung over the precint through every moment of the day. No one had slept much in the past two weeks. Who could when you knew and saw what was happening to Elliot. I know that he can not last much longer in the condition he is in. But now that we actually have a possible lead, there might be hope for my partner. I am praying that this final warehouse contains the person I hold most dear to my heart.

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Munch's PoV

These past two weeks have been pure hell. No one in the precint is their normal selves. They are all just a shell of what they once were. We all are. We are always helping victims and their loved ones out in any way we can. But never did we imagine that one of our own detectives would be the victim, and others' would be comforting us. I have tried to remain strong throughout all of this...we all have. But men are expected to be tough. It is becoming more and more difficult to not break down and cry in front of everyone. But I must remain strong...for Olivia, for Cragen, for myself, and for Elliot.

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Fin's PoV

I don't want anything more than to take down the people that has done this. This whole situation has changed all of our lives, mine included. I can not think of much else anymore. When I am awake, I work furiously on trying to find some lead to find Elliot. And when I am asleep, which is not happening too much anymore, I dream about all the things that I have seen Elliot go through. I don't know if the feed was a blessing because we knew that Elliot was still alive, or if it was a curse because what we have seen happen to Elliot over these past two weeks. All I know is that when we find him, we better have a bus and a doctor on scene as soon as we find him...every second counts.

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Cragen's PoV

In a single moment, my whole world was turned upside down. I was so furious with Elliot when I thought that he had attacked the rape suspect. I didn't even allow Elliot to explain himself. I had just been angry already that day, and I took it out on him...and it may have cost him his life. My detectives and my whole precint have been walking in their own little dream world. Each one involved in their own thoughts. Each one determined to find their friend.

Elliot could be a burden on my sometimes...ok, alot of the times. He DID have the thickest file in the precint, but he has become like family to me. I would do anything for him to not be in this situation. Olivia has taken this the hardest, although she would never admit it. Munch and Fin have kept to themselves, but of course they are hurting as much as the others.

I have not allowed the detectives to see much of the feed. Whenever they ask if they could watch the feed on my computer, I would make sure that nothing was happening to Elliot at the time. They did not need to bear that emotional burden with them for the rest of their lives. I, on the other hand, have watched most of the feed as I am sitting in my office. Whenever I look up and see them torturing Elliot again, I close my office door, and shut the blinds, unable to look away. I hold my breath hoping that I am not witnessing Elliot's last moments. The things that Elliot has gone through these past two weeks are undescribable. The images of this are burned in my memory, and I see them every night as I sleep. I hope that this is the last warehouse. If not, I need to start preparing for the fact that Elliot will not make it through this alive.


	10. SWAT

The SWAT leader burst through the door of the last warehouse, eyes searching, weapons ready.

"Blue team, take the north side. Red team, take the south. Green team, sweep the east side. Yellow team, take the west side. GO!"

With those words, the SWAT team swarmed into the warehouse, scanning and searching for Elliot Stabler. A helicopter and doctors were on hand should they find Elliot. Everything was ready to go...if everything went according to plan. Olivia, Munch, Fin, and Cragen were bringing up the rear with their guns drawn. Their eyes were frantic and full of worry and fear, their hearts beating wildly against their chests. They all knew that this was their only hope if they wished to find Elliot alive. Each of the SVU detectives split; each one going with a different SWAT team. That way, no matter which team found Elliot, one of his friends would be their for him. Olivia took off with the blue team, Cragen with the red, Fin with the green, and Munch with the yellow team.

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Olivia ran off with the blue team which was taking the north side of the warehouse. Her adrenaline was pumping, and she knew she had to keep going. She just had to find Elliot, she couldn't stop until she did. Wouldn't Elliot do the same for her? She held her breath each time that the team would open a door or would pass through a hallway. Maybe Elliot was in here. Her heart was heavy as they searched more and more of the north side. But her heart grew even heavier as they came to the north wall of the building and she heard the red team leader announce an 'all clear' on his walkie-talkie. Elliot was not on the north side.

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Munch was excited that he got to sweep the west side of the building. He did not think that the SWAT leader or Cragen would allow them to tag along. But he knew that both of them were sympathetic to him as well as the other Detectives, and would let them do whatever they wanted. They knew that they would only act in the best interest of Elliot. The sweep of the west side of the warehouse did not take long. This section was mainly and open space, so there was not many places to search. His heart sank as he heard the yellow team leader announce the 'all clear' on his radio.

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Fin was glad that Cragen let him be part of the action. He told himself that he would have gone into the warehouse anyways, even if Cragen told him no...he chuckled to himself as he thought that Elliot would have done the same thing. He never thought that he would miss Elliot as much as he did. He knew that until they found him, a big part of him would feel like it was missing. Fin was sweeping the east side of the warehouse with the green team. Fin wanted nothing more than to find Elliot and kill the bastards who did this. But with each moment, and with each checked room, Fin became more and more worried as they did not find Elliot. He hung his head and put his hands in his face as he heard the green team leader announce the 'all clear' on his radio.

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Cragen knew that he could not keep his team sitting behind the lines. They were all too eager and had worked too long to not be a part of the team that was trying to find Elliot. He thought that maybe his detectives would not feel like they could blame themselves if they were a part of the search and rescue efforts. But he also knew that no matter the outcome, everyone would blame themselves. The red team was moving swiftly on the south side of the building. There were alot of rooms that they had to check, but each one yielded no results. Just as the red team leader was about announce the 'all clear', Cragen spotted a door set in the shadows. He quickly pointed out the partially hidden door to the team leader. Cragen's heart was pounding heavily as they opened the door. Once the door was opened, stairs were visible...so there was a basement.

"Red team. Proceed down stairs with extreme caution. Use night vision if necessary."

Cragen looked up at the team leader as the announcement was made. Their eyes met, and Cragen caught a look of sympathy and sadness in his eyes. He could not imagine what the Captain must be going through. Cragen followed the SWAT team closely down the wooden stairs. The basement was dark and musty. The place was not listed on the blueprints, so he knew that this was made recently. Cragen heard nothing, just a dark, foreboding presence filled the room. Just when Cragen was comparing this place to a graveyard, a sharp, angry voice broke the eery silence.

"Damn it, Stabler! If you try to move one more time, I will kidnap every one of your fellow Detectives, and have you watch me kill them! You think that you are above me because you help out 'victims', but the only thing you accomplish is putting innocent men behind bars!" The voice was coming from a door, set in the back corner of the basement. The SWAT leader signaled to his men, preparing themselves to attack. Cragen's heart stopped. He couldn't believe that Elliot was here! And he was alive...but it didn't seem by much.

"If you as so much as look at one of those Detectives, I'll kill you myself!" Elliot's voice was weak and fading. It was just like Elliot to try to protect his friends with his final breaths.

"You, Detective! Are in no position to kill anyone. You can not even save yourself, let alone your friends."

With that, Daniels rage grew, and he began to unmercifully beat Elliot. As soon as the SWAT leader heard what was going on, he gave signals to his team to be ready. As soon as the team was situated behind the door, the SWAT leader gave the orders to enter and save Elliot at all costs.

The door the the dark room suddenly burst open. The SWAT members were greeted by the sight of Daniels and Branson standing over Elliot beating him.

"Get down! Get down! Step away from the Detective! Step away of I will shoot!" The leader's orders were loud and angry. Branson and Daniels looked up suprised at the sudden outburst. They looked completely shocked that they had been found. Since they were not expecting to be found out, they did not have their guns with them. They could do nothing else but step back from an unmoving Elliot. The team leader walked up to the two torturers.

"Branson and Daniels. You are under arrest for the kidnapping, torture, and attempted murder of Detective Elliot Stabler. You have the right to remain silent. Everything you say can and will be used against you in the court of law..."


	11. Paramedics and Doctors

_Yeah! 3 final exams down...2 more to go! Merry Christmas!_

Captain Don Cragen stood in the doorway of the room shocked by what had just happened, as he watched the SWAT leader read Daniels and Branson their Miranda rights. As the SWAT leader led the two out of the room, Cragen caught the eyes of Daniels. His eyes were full of hatred and pure evil. Cragen could barely hold himself back as Daniels smiled at the Captain as they led him away.

"I took good care of your precious Detective, Captain. Too bad he won't stay alive long enough to tell you about it. But it was fun while it lasted."

Cragen just stood there wanting to kill the men in front of him. But he suddenly snapped out of his shock as he remembered the reason why they were there.._"Stabler"_, he thought. Cragen suddenly rushed over to the unconscious detective.

"Elliot!"

As he knelt down beside Elliot, his stomach was repulsed by what he saw. He had seen Elliot on the live feed for the past two weeks, but the feed could not capture how horrible Elliot really looked. In all of his years as a detective, he had never seen someone as bad off as this who had survived. Blood covered Elliot's body, and was also splattered on the walls and floor of the torture chamber. Cragen could not find a spot on Elliot's body that was not covered with some sort of cut, bruise, or burn mark. Tears escaped from Cragen's eyes as he looked at the tortured body of his detective. Cragen reached his hand down to Elliot's throat to feel for a pulse. He held his breath praying that they were not too late.

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Olivia, Munch, and Fin were all broken-hearted that their search had yielded no results. They had not heard back from Cragen's team, but they had lost radio contact with the team, so they did not expect much. They knew that with no other leads, Elliot would not survive...they had not found him in time. The three detectives stood beside one another, wondering how they would all go on without Elliot Stabler. The past two weeks had been the hardest days of their lives, but each could never imagine that they would not find Elliot in time. Now, they just had each other for support and comfort. Things would never be the same without Elliot around.

"Liv?" Olivia looked up as Munch spoke to her.

"It's ok to cry, Olivia. No one will think less of you if you do."

"It's my fault Munch! If I had been a better partner, none of this would have ever happened! He was always there for me when I needed him, no matter what. But when he needs me the most, I'm not there for him.

"Olivia. None of this is your fault. If anyone is to blame it's me. Fin and I were the ones who were working on the case. If we would have been better detectives, we would have found the connection before any of this happened. Now, I have to live with the fact that I sent one of my fellow detectives, one of my friends, to his grave. This is going to haunt me for the rest of my life, and I won't stop until I catch those bastards!" Fin looked up suprised at the outburst, but nodded in agreement.

"He's right, Olivia. If we had been doing our job right, we would have seen it coming. Don't blame yourself for the mistake we made." As Olivia looked at the detectives through the tears in her eyes, she could see that they both were crying as well. Just as Munch, Fin, and Olivia held each other in a tight embrace, she felt Fin tense up and yell out.

"Son of a bitch!" Fin suddenly shot off in the direction of the entrance to the warehouse. Olivia and Munch turned around quickly to see what Fin reacted to. There, stepping out of the warehouse was a handcuffed Branson and Daniels. Before anyone else could react, Fin rushed up to the two and punched them. Fin felt hands grab his arms and pull him back from the two men.

"Where the hell is Elliot, Daniels? If you killed him I will personally----"

"Personally what, Detective? Kill me yourself? You want to do the same thing to me as I have already done to Detective Stabler. Your time ran out, Detective! You lose, and I win! But let me tell you one thing before I go. I can't tell you of a time that I have enjoyed myself more than these past two weeks." Fin lunged at the man who just smiled at Fin, as strong arms held him back.

"Fin!" Olivia was standing beside him. "Does this mean that they found Elliot?" The three detectives ran inside the warehouse. Olivia ran up to one of the SWAT members.

"Did you find him? Where are they? Is he alive?" The SWAT member looked up from what he was doing.

"First of all, yes, we did find Detective Stabler. Second, he was found in the basement on the south corner of the warehouse. And, as for your last question, I have no idea. Although from what I hear, if he isn't dead, he will be soon." With those final words, Olivia, Fin, and Munch ran off in the direction of the basement. Once downstairs they found SWAT members and doctors swarming around a door. They walked in and saw a red-eyed Cragen leaning over an unconscious Elliot.

"Is, is he...alive, Captain?" Cragen looked up at the three remaining detectives.

"I'm not sure. I can not feel a pulse, but that may be because it is too weak to feel. We may need a heart monitor to find out for sure. The helicopter just landed, so we'll know soon enough." With those words, a team of paramedics and doctors rushed into the room. Cragen moved away from Elliot as Elliot was suddenly surrounded by them.

"Get some oxygen on him! Stat! Get me the heart monitor." The other doctors and paramedics rushed to get the monitor set up. As soon as the monitor was set up, the doctor breathed a small sigh of relief.

"He has a pulse, but it is extremely weak. We need to move out now!" Just as he said that the monitor started to beep. "Damn it! He stopped breathing! Get me the paddles! Charge to 200! Clear!...Come on Detective, don't give up on me now! Charge to 300! Clear!...Good, he's back. Get him into the helicopter! He's alive for now, but may not make it to the hospital in time."

As Cragen, Olivia, Munch, and Fin stood horrified at the condition Elliot was in, the paramedics rushed passed them as Elliot was placed on a stretcher. They all rushed after Elliot, not wanting to leave him for a second. But they all knew that they could not join him in the helicopter; they would just be in the way. Each was praying quietly to themselves as they saw Elliot being placed in the helicopter, and taking off. Cragen jumped in his car as Olivia, Munch, and Fin joined him. No one spoke a word the entire way to the hospital. Each one was focused on the fact that although Elliot was found in time, he may not be able to make it to the hospital alive.


	12. The Hospital

_Ok. Wow! Sorry for the long delay, but the Christmas season is just SO busy! The next chapters will start coming quicker now...no more two week delays! HAPPY NEW YEAR- 2006! lol! I am writing this chapter as I am watching the Dec.30th SVU marathon. Guess I just needed some inspiration._

_...at the hospital..._

Olivia, Munch, Fin, and Cragen sat impatiently in a private waiting room at the hospital. It had been over three hours since they had found Elliot lying unconscious on the floor of his torture chamber. The past two weeks had been the longest, most agonizing weeks of their lives. They had not slept much since Elliot was kidnapped, and each moment they were awake was spent on the search for their friend.

"Captain." Cragen looked up suddenly, startled by a teary-eyed Olivia. "Ummm...I heard from one of the SWAT members back at the warehouse that Elliot was still conscious when you first found him and that Branson and Daniels were in the room with him. What happened?" Cragen thought for a moment, wondering whether to reveal this information now.

"When we were down in the basement, we heard Branson and Daniels yelling at Elliot. They threatened to...they threatened to kidnap the rest of us and kill us in front of him. Elliot then told them that if they touched any of us, that he would kill them." Olivia's lips crept into a small smile. It was just like Elliot to threaten to kill anyone who wanted to hurt one of his fellow detectives. "The SWAT team got ready and burst into the room where they were holding Elliot. Branson and Daniels were standing over Stabler, beating him when we walked in. They gave up pretty easily since they didn't have a weapon with them at the time...you know the rest of the story." Tears slowly crept down Olivia's face as she thought of her partner and all that he had been through over these past two weeks. Olivia then suddenly looked up as she heard Fin punch the wall.

"Damn it! How long are those damn doctors going to take? We've been here six hours now!" Cragen looked up from his chair.

"Calm down, Detective!" Cragen was about to go on when a doctor walked towards them.

"Captain Cragen. I'm Doctor Vickery. I am Detective Stabler's doctor. Won't you all please take a seat?" All the detectives quickly sat down, eager to hear any news.

"As you all know, Detective Stabler came in in critical condition. I won't go into extreme details now, but I will go over his list of injuries which is quite extensive. First off all, he is suffering from severe dehydration. His captors must have given him just enough water to stay alive and nothing more. Also he is suffering from malnutrition, which we believe is from the fact that in the past two weeks, Detective Stabler has eaten only once or twice at most. As a result of the torture, his injuries include a severe concussion, five cracked ribs, the rest of them are broken, both shoulders were dislocated, his right arm is fractured, his left arm was broken in two places, as well as the left wrist, both of his legs are broken, although his right suffered the most damage and was evidently broken in seven places, then he also had some internal injuries. His spleen was torn, which we were able to repair, and his lung was punctured, which we were able to repair although with much difficulty. He has also suffered various cuts and bruises. The most extensive of which is on his back, as a result of a whip I'm told, where he received over a hundred stitches. Those cuts were fairly deep, and some had become infected. I am so sorry about this Captain. My crew and I are going to do anything we can and give Detective Stabler the best care possible." Don Cragen looked up at the doctor with tears flowing freely down his cheek.

"Is he going to make it- and please be completely honest with us."

"Well, as of now, he has slipped into a coma. We have placed him in ICU and the next 72 hours are critical. Until then...it is hard to say, without lying, if he really is going to make it."

"Can we see him?"

"I think I can arrange that, Captain. But I have to warn you that he is hooked up to several machines. He has a tube down his throat and an IV in his hand. I should also warn you that he does look in pretty bad shape, so just prepare yourselves. Now, if you just come with me, I'll show you to the Detective's room."

Cragen, Munch, Olivia, and Fin got up from their chairs eager that their friend was finally out of the torturous hold of Branson and Daniels, but also worried that Elliot still may never wake up.


	13. Room 248

**Ok. I'm back. I am soooo sorry for that long delay. I was transferring to a college in a different state, and then just got so wrapped up in school that I almost forgot about the story. I know, I know...how could I forget? Don't worry, the chapters will come alot faster now...probably one or two a week. Enjoy! I suggest reading the story again to refreshen your memory. This isn't going to be an E/O thing, there are too many of those. This is going to be a short chapter because I have to go to work in 30 minutes. Next one will be longer.**

**I do not own Law and Order or any of the characters...except the bad guys. If I DID own the characters, I would be in the Caribbean sipping a drink with those little umbrellas. Maybe if I ask Dick Wolf nicely he'll give them to me...just for a day...please? Oh well, I guess I have to forget about that little umbrella drink...for now.**

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Cragen, Munch, Fin, and Olivia quickly followed Dr. Vickery to room 248 in the ICU ward. No one spoke during their short trip down the hallway...each was consumed with thoughts of Elliot and his well-being and trying to mentally prepare themselves for the sight of their broken friend. The past two weeks had been exhausting for each of them. Sleep had become a rare part of their lives. When they were finally able to sleep, their dreams were filled with nightmares of Elliot. As the doctor came to a stop in front of Elliot's room, the group of detectives took a collective breath and pushed the door open to visit their friend.

The doctor turned toward them before they could enter, "Please try to limit your time. Visiting hours are over in an hour, and the Detective desperately needs his rest. Detective Stabler is in a coma but we have found that a coma patients can still hear and feel things. So by all means, talk to him as if he's awake, and don't be afraid touch him. Just be careful of his wounds."

"Thank you Doctor." Cragen stated. "Ready, Detectives?" Without another word, the team stepped inside Elliot's darkened room. Tears began to flow down each detective's face at the sight of Elliot. A tube was down Elliot's throat, as well as one in his nose. An oxygen mask was placed over his mouth and iv's stuck out of both arms. The beeping of several machines was the only sound that came from the white-washed room. Olivia quickly made her way to Elliot's side. She was about to grab his hand when she looked down and noticed that his wrists were swollen, bruised, and covered in mulitple cuts.

"My God, Elliot. What the hell did they do to you?" Olivia whispered. Cragen came up and gently put his arm around Olivia. "Olivia, his hands and feet were bound for two weeks. Just stay calm." Olivia's voice rose as she tried to blink back tears.

"Stay calm? You want me to stay calm? How in the hell am I supposed to do that? Look at him, Captain!"

"Olivia, it's ok. I was just trying to help..." Olivia jerked away from Cragen, suddenly angry.

"Trying to help? You're trying to help? Thanks, but no thanks Captain. The last time you tried to help, you suspended Elliot before you even looked into the assault allegation, and look where he is now! You might as well tortured him yourself!" Fin and Munch stood there in shock with their mouths open. Captain Cragen stood there staring at the floor unable to speak. Fin recovered and stepped softly towards Olivia.

"Liv. It's not his fault. It's no one's fault but Daniels and Branson's." Fin turned towards his captain. "Captain, are you ok?" Cragen looked up at Fin with tears in his eyes.

"Olivia." He said softly. "Go home for the day and come back tomorrow. You haven't slept well in two weeks. Go get some sleep and come back tomorrow to stay here with Elliot. I'll stay with him tonight." Olivia suddenly realized what she had said.

"Captain, I..."

"Olivia. Go get some sleep." Cragen turned away from his detectives and sat down in the chair next to Elliot's bed as Munch guided Olivia out of the room. Fin lingered behind.

"Captain? You know it's not your fault. She's tired and her partner's in a coma. She doesn't know what's she's saying. She's just scared" When Cragen didn't respond, he quietly left the room leaving Cragen alone with Elliot and his thoughts.

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When Captain Cragen heard the door shut as Fin left the room, he finally began to study his unconscious detective. Elliot's face was swollen and disfigured. Dark purple bruising covered his face, and a bandage covered a head wound where Elliot was first hit in his apartment. The doctor had said that the wound had never healed because his tormentors had bashed his head against the concrete mulitple times throughout the two week ordeal. His left arm was in a cast and his right was wrapped carefully in gauze. As Cragen's eyes traveled to Elliot's legs, he saw pins sticking out of his right leg in an attempt to repair the seven breaks in that leg. With nothing else to cover that leg, deep cuts, burns, and bruises were visible. Cragen quickly moved on with the damage assessment not wanting to look at his right leg any longer. His left leg was cast in a similar fashion as his right arm. Cragen could not see the most of his wounds since they were covered in gauze or in a cast, and he was grateful for that. Don Cragen was suddenly startled as he felt a gentle hand touch his shoulder.

"I'm sorry sir. I didn't mean to scare you. I'm Tracee Miller, Detective Stabler's nurse. Are you related to the Detective? Because visiting hours are over."

"I'm his captain. Please don't make me leave him. He's like a son to me." The nurse looked at the tear-stained face of the captain.

"I think it will be ok to break the rules for Detective Stabler. I heard about his kidnapping on the news and we are all glad he was found. This hospital always takes extra care for police, but we are going to do anything to make sure Detective Stabler makes a full recovery."

"Thank you Ms. Miller."

"You can call me Tracee, Captain."

"Thank you Tracee."

"Now I am going to be dressing and applying antibiotic to Detective Stabler's wounds on his back. We have to do this every four hours to prevent infection." Just as she said that, Dr. Vickery walked into the room.

"How are you doing Captain?"

"I'll be better when my detective wakes up."

"I understand. We are ready to change his bandages now, if that's ok Captain." With an affirming nod from Cragen, the doctor and Tracee began to gently turn Elliot on his side to allow easier access to the bandages.

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_Elliot's PoV_

_The pain that was so evident in his life for the past two weeks seemed to grow dimmer than before. He was aware of the soft bed beneath him and wondered if this was the end. He was used to the cold, unforgiving concrete beneath him, and the new comfort was a God-send. "What's happening? Where am I? Am I in heaven?" Then a new thought assailed him. "What if this is just another torture method?" Elliot knew he could not take any more of the beatings, burns, or cuts. Elliot felt hands on his skin and his heart beat increased. "I can't go through more torture again!" he thought. "I am so tired of this misery." Elliot began to panic, as his heart rate steadily increased. He saw light, blessed light, and began to embrace it. Light...a refuge from this pain."_

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As Dr. Vickery began to undress the bandages, and with Cragen looking on, monitors began beeping everywhere. The doctor looked quickly up from his patient.

"What the hell?" Cragen stood up from his place across the room and looked at Elliot whose face was filled with terror.

"Doctor! What's going on?"

"He's going into cardiac arrest! Tracee! Get the other nurses! Damn it, Detective...stay with me!" Nurses and other doctors began to swarm into Elliot's room. Cragen could only stand there and look on, helpless and afraid. "He's flat-lined! Charge the paddles! We are NOT going to lose him!"

Cragen looked past the doctors at the machine that monitored Elliot's heartbeat. A thin green line ran across it showing that Elliot's heart was no longer beating. As he looked on, Olivia's words came back to haunt him, _"You might as well tortured him yourself!" _Tears began to flow down the SVU Captain's face as he realized that she was right.

**LOL! Is that a good cliff-hanger? Did you understand why Elliot went in cardiac arrest? I'll explain it next chapter if you didn't.**

**Ok. That's the end of that chapter. Did you like it? Read and Review...please? Any advice about where the story should head? I already have an idea in mind so you can guess the end if you want. I'll update soon...I promise! Hope you enjoyed!**


	14. Discussion

**Yeah! Another update! I have decided to write a new chapter each week. Hope ya'll are enjoying the story so far. **

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As always...Dick Wolf won't share with me his show OR his characters! Hmmm...maybe if I asked him again nicely...please? **

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Previously...

As Dr. Vickery began to undress the bandages, and with Cragen looking on, monitors began beeping everywhere. The doctor looked quickly up from his patient.

"What the hell?" Cragen stood up from his place across the room and looked at Elliot whose face was filled with terror.

"Doctor! What's going on?"

"He's going into cardiac arrest! Tracee! Get the other nurses! Damn it, Detective...stay with me!" Nurses and other doctors began to swarm into Elliot's room. Cragen could only stand there and look on, helpless and afraid. "He's flat-lined! Charge the paddles! We are NOT going to lose him!"

Cragen looked past the doctors at the machine that monitored Elliot's heartbeat. A thin green line ran across it showing that Elliot's heart was no longer beating. As he looked on, Olivia's words came back to haunt him, _"You might as well tortured him yourself!" _Tears began to flow down the SVU Captain's face as he realized that she was right.

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Dr. Vickery was frantically calling out orders. "Stay with me Detective! Don't leave us!" He turned towards Tracee.

"Charge the paddles to 200!" nothing. "Charge paddles to 250...Come on Detective! We're losing him!" The doctor looked at the thin green line that ran across the heart monitor.

"Captain!" the doctor yelled. Captain Cragen stood there unmoving, still in shock that his detective had gone into cardiac arrest. "Captain Cragen!" The captain suddenly snapped out of his thoughts and looked towards the doctor.

"Captain. We need your help. Talk to him...he knows you."

"I...I don't know if----"

"Damn it, Captain! If you don't help him he's not going to make it!" Don quickly moved towards the hospital bed after being rightfully admonished. Cragen rushed by Elliot's side and took his hand in his own.

"Elliot! You have to hang on! We need you to stay with us!" There was no response.

"Come on Elliot! SVU won't be the same without you!" The captain began to become hysterical and panic, tears running down his weathered face.

"Damn it Stabler! If your ass doensn't pull through, you and Benson will be on ass duty for a month! Damn it Detective! That's an order!" The doctor began to pull a hysterical SVU captain away, when Tracee looked up.

"Doctor...we have a pulse!" With that, the heart monitor began to beat regularly again and the incessant beeping that invaded the room ceased. Dr. Vickery moved next to his patient's side and looked up at Tracee.

"What...how the hell did that happen? His pulse is completely normal." Dr. Vickery turned towards the captain. "Good work, Captain. You just saved his life." As the other doctors and nurses began to file out, Cragen called out to the doctor.

"What happened? He was find just a minute ago." The doctor looked compassionately at the man next to him.

"He went into shock. My guess is it started when we began to remove the bandages. He must have had some flashback of his captivity and decided it was better to give up then to continue to live with the pain. It doesn't happen to this extreme too often with trauma victims, but it's not unheard of. Just be prepared for when he wakes up. That's when the real trauma for him will begin." The doctor quickly jotted notes down on Elliot's file, checked his vital signs again, and then headed out the door with nurse Tracee right behind him. Now alone, Cragen slowly made his way to Elliot's side.

"We almost lost you there Elliot. I don't know what I would have done if we lost you." Cragen's eyes scanned the broken detective's body.

"This is all my fault. Elliot, I'm sorry...so sorry."

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_one week later..._

A week. It's been one week since they all had almost lost Elliot. Cragen thought back to when Fin had walked in the hospital room just minutes after the chaos. Cragen had told him what had happened, and Fin had fallen apart. He volunteered to tell Munch and Olivia for the captain since they did not leave on such good terms. Fin's mind began to wonder as he sat next to Elliot and across from Cragen.

_"It seemed as if the entire squad had fallen apart. Olivia hasn't been the same since Elliot's disappearance and blames the captain for the whole thing. Munch hasn't said much of anything and was retreating inside himself. Cragen was trying to be the strong one that would hold the squad together. But ever since Olivia had exploded at him, he had become quiet. Damn it Olivia! Why did you have to go blame Cragen like that? Like he hasn't gone through enough bull these past three weeks. I know Cragen blames himself. Olivia and Cragen hadn't spoken since. Olivia was silent when she would arrive at the hospital, and Cragen would offer to take a break to ease the tension in the room. Ever since Elliot had disappeared, everyone had fallen apart...emotionally most of all. I just don't know how long I can keep my own fascade up."_

Fin was still lost in his thoughts when he heard the door to Elliot's hospital room open. He looked up and saw Olivia and Munch quietly file into the room. They sat down in chairs at the foot of the bed, staring at their still unconscious friend. The silence in the room was deafening until Olivia spoke up.

"Captain." Cragen looked up suprised that Olivia had actually talked to him. "I just wanted to say that I'm sorry." As Olivia began to talk, Munch and Fin got up to leave the two in privacy until Olivia stopped them.

"No. You guys stay. You need to hear this too." Munch and Fin sat back down as Olivia continued. "I'm sorry for all those things that I said last week. I know it's no excuse, but I was tired and angry. We all were...are. I really didn't mean what I said to you. It's no one's fault but Branson and Daniels. I just thought you should know that." Cragen looked away from Olivia and stared at Elliot.

"Don't apologize Olivia. You were right. I should have looked into the assault allegation. If I had, none of this would have happened." Olivia quickly moved over to Cragen's side and knelt next to him.

"You think that if you looked into the assault allegation none of this would have happened? Think about it Captain! These men were determined to go after Elliot. They would have gotten to him one way or another. If you didn't suspend Elliot for the alleged assault, then they would had just kidnapped him when he went home from work that night. There was nothing any of us could have done differently that wouldn't have led to the same result. The only thing we can do now is be there for Elliot. God knows he's going to need us when he wakes up." Olivia began to cry when she felt herself being wrapped in Cragen's arms.

"Thank you Olivia. Thank you." Cragen hugged Olivia tightly when all of the sudden she felt him stiffen.

"What is it, Captain?"

"Elliot. He's waking up."

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**Oooohhhhh...another cliffhanger. Sorry about that delay. I had written the chapter last week but it really sucked so I had to take time to write it all over again. I hate writer's block. Please read and review...they help me update faster.**


	15. Waking Up

**Ok. Ok. I know that I said I would update every week. But I was sick one week, then I had mid-terms, and then I had spring break the next week...You wouldn't want me to miss out on spring break to finish the story would you? Anyways, I had to meet with Dick Wolf for spring break, but he says that SVU is all his and he won't share them with me. Not now. Not ever. But don't worry, I think I'm wearing him down...isn't that right Dick? **

**PS: This is NOT an E/O ff. There are WAY too many of those.**

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_Previously..._

"Captain." Cragen looked up suprised that Olivia had actually talked to him. "I just wanted to say that I'm sorry." As Olivia began to talk, Munch and Fin got up to leave the two in privacy until Olivia stopped them.

"No. You guys stay. You need to hear this too." Munch and Fin sat back down as Olivia continued. "I'm sorry for all those things that I said last week. I know it's no excuse, but I was tired and angry. We all were...are. I really didn't mean what I said to you. It's no one's fault but Branson and Daniels. I just thought you should know that." Cragen looked away from Olivia and stared at Elliot.

"Don't apologize Olivia. You were right. I should have looked into the assault allegation. If I had, none of this would have happened." Olivia quickly moved over to Cragen's side and knelt next to him.

"You think that if you looked into the assault allegation none of this would have happened? Think about it Captain! These men were determined to go after Elliot. They would have gotten to him one way or another. If you didn't suspend Elliot for the alleged assault, then they would had just kidnapped him when he went home from work that night. There was nothing any of us could have done differently that wouldn't have led to the same result. The only thing we can do now is be there for Elliot. God knows he's going to need us when he wakes up." Olivia began to cry when she felt herself being wrapped in Cragen's arms.

"Thank you Olivia. Thank you." Cragen hugged Olivia tightly when all of the sudden she felt him stiffen.

"What is it, Captain?"

"Elliot. He's waking up."

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Cragen shot up from his chair, and hit the nurse call button, as the rest of the detectives quickly ran to Elliot's bedside. The team watched on anxiously as Elliot began to stir. Elliot groaned in pain as he began to slip back into consciousness. Each detective was holding their breaths waiting for their friend to wake up.

"Where the hell is that nurse?" Cragen muttered. As if on cue, Tracee walked in the room.

"Hello, Captain. Detectives. What can I get for New York's finest today?"

"Tracee. Elliot's waking up. We didn't know if we should do anything."

"That's great news Captain. Doctor Vickery didn't expect him to wake up til later in the week. The best thing for him now is just to talk to him. He is just beginning to feel to pain for the first time, so it is going to be difficult for him when he wakes up. Even when he does, he will probably get exhausted easily. I'll give him more medicine once he is fully conscious, but now, the pain is what's helping him wake up. He won't be able to talk to you because the tube is still down his throat, but I should be able to remove it tomorrow if everything goes well."

The nurse looked at Elliot sympathetically as she heard him groan in pain once again. Olivia moved up to Elliot's side and began to softly stroke the side of his head, careful not to aggravate any of his injuries. She bent down and spoke soothingly into his ear.

"Elliot. Come on, sweetheart. Wake up. It's ok. We are all here for you, Stabler. Your safe now." Elliot's eyes began to flutter as he struggled to open his eyes.

"That's right. Come back to us, El." The rest of the team stood anxiously around his bed as they watched Olivia comfort her partner. Olivia's eyes filled with tears as she finally saw her partner's blue eyes look up at her for the first time in over three weeks.

"Welcome back, El!"

Elliot tried to reply but was hindered by the tube down his throat. His heartbeat began to increase and his eyes widened in terror as he realized that he was once again held prisoner, although by a different source. Cragen noticed his heart monitor began to look eerily familar to when he went into shock and pushed Olivia gently out of the way to calm him.

"Elliot." Cragen stated. "It's ok. The doctor's just put a tube down your throat to help you breath. Don't panic...we're right here with you. I won't let anything happen. Just calm down, son."

The captain breathed a sigh of relief as he watched the heart beat slowly return to normal. Elliot looked cautiously to the people who stood around his bed trying to comprehend his surroundings. Each friend that surrounded him placed a comforting hand on their injured friend as a lone tear ran down from Elliot's blue eyes, his exhausted eyes still filled with terror, as he once again succumbed to the darkness around him.

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Elliot woke up the next day to find that the tube had already been removed from his throat. He opened his eyes to find that his comrades had not yet left his side, but were asleep in the chairs around him. Elliot began to search for the nurse call button. His heart fell as he realized that both arms and legs were in casts and he had no way to do anything on his own. Frustrated that he couldn't do something on his own, Elliot laid back and resigned himself to the pain. But he could not contain his anguish for long as he grimaced as the pain began to envelope him as he felt his injuries assail his body with full force for the first time. Cragen shot awake when he heard the noise and rushed to Elliot's side.

"Elliot. Thank God!... Are you in pain?" Stupid question the captain thought. Of course he's in pain! He was tortured for two weeks. "Do you need me to get the nurse?" Cragen walked over to the rest of the squad waking them up. "Munch! Go get Doctor Vickery...Elliot needs that pain medication." Cragen rushed back over to Elliot's side as Fin and Olivia began to stir. When they noticed that Elliot was awake, they quickly forgot their lack of sleep, and rushed to their friend's side. Elliot's eyes locked with that of his captain's. The team looked on and each laid an encouraging hand on Elliot, as they watched him struggle to speak. Elliot's voice was quiet and hoarse.

"Captain..." Elliot's voice went out as his face contorted in frustration and pain. Olivia reached over and poured him a cup of water and placed a straw in it.

"Here you go, El. Don't strain yourself." Elliot's mouth met with that of the straw, and he eagerly drank the cool water, enjoying the soothing liquid on his throat. Olivia looked behind her as she heard the door open. Munch walked in followed by Doctor Vickery who smiled broadly now that his patient was awake.

"Detective Stabler! It's good to see your awake. I'm Doctor Vickery, and I have the pleasure of taking care of you." He turned towards the other people crowded in the room. "I have to check his vitals, so if you would all excuse us for the moment." The team rose up to leave the room but was startled when Elliot cried out.

"Captain! Please don't leave me!" Elliot softly pleaded. Cragen was startled by his request but looked towards the doctor who nodded his head in agreement.

"We'll be right outside buddy. We're not goin' anywhere." Fin called back as the rest of the team left the room. Doctor Vickery walked up to Elliot's beside.

"How are you feeling, Detective?" Elliot could only groan in response. "All right. I am going to give you some pain medication, but I also want to ask you a few questions...ok?" The doctor continued as Elliot nodded his head. "Do you know where you are at?"

"Hospital."

"That's right, Detective Stabler. Do you remember why you are here?" Elliot reached out his cast hand for his captain's, who lightly held his injured limb.

"Branson and Daniels." Elliot stated as his eyes filled with fear as he continued. "They kidnapped me in my apartment a week ago." The doctor and Cragen quickly traded worried glances. Cragen leaned down closer to Elliot.

"Ummm...Elliot. They kidnapped you over three weeks ago. You've been in a coma for a week in the hospital. You don't remember us rescuing you?" Elliot shook his head despite the pain.

"No. The last thing I remember was when Branson and Daniels..." Elliot's voice trailed off, not wanting to dredge up the horrible nightmares that plagued his dreams. Cragen held onto his hand.

"It's ok Elliot. We don't have to talk about that now. The important thing is for you to get better. And, of course, we'll all be here for you every step of the way."

"Detective Stabler." The doctor continued."You were seriously injured. I won't go into all the details just yet, but when you arrived here, you were dehydrated and malnurished. Most of your ribs were broken and both of your shoulders were dislocated. Your right arm is fractured, your left broken in two places, as well as your left wrist. Both of your legs were broken, although your right leg was broken in seven places. I won't list the rest of you injuries now, but I have to caution you that you have many months of physical therapy ahead. We'll try to make you as comfortable as possible, but the road ahead won't be easy. It's good to see that you seem close to your fellow officers, which will come in handy as you recover. I'll come check on you later today, but I have another patient to see. Just call me if you need anything detective, and I mean anything." Doctor Vickery simply nodded to the captain as he slipped out of the room. Elliot looked up at his captain.

"Captain----"

"It's ok Elliot. I'm not going anywhere. We're here for you." With the captain's reassuring words fresh in his mind, Elliot's exhausted body beckoned to the darkness around him.

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**Ok. This story is soooo far from over. Mwaaahahahahahaha!**


	16. A Turn for the Worse

**Well, another exciting chapter! I know, I know, what took me so long? Well, anyways, I talked to Dick Wolf again the other day. Well, more like saw him from a distance in the court room. Apparently, I violated the restraining order he has against me. All I wanted was to borrow SVU for one day! One day! I even offered him a cupcake...but he didn't think that was a fair trade. sigh I guess I'll try again tomorrow...**

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_"How are you feeling, Detective?" Elliot could only groan in response. "All right. I am going to give you some pain medication, but I also want to ask you a few questions...ok?" The doctor continued as Elliot nodded his head. "Do you know where you are at?"_

_"Hospital."_

_"That's right, Detective Stabler. Do you remember why you are here?" Elliot reached out his cast hand for his captain's, who lightly held his injured limb._

_"Branson and Daniels." Elliot stated as his eyes filled with fear as he continued. "They kidnapped me in my apartment a week ago." The doctor and Cragen quickly traded worried glances. Cragen leaned down closer to Elliot._

_"Ummm...Elliot. They kidnapped you over three weeks ago. You've been in a coma for a week in the hospital. You don't remember us rescuing you?" Elliot shook his head despite the pain._

_"No. The last thing I remember was when Branson and Daniels..." Elliot's voice trailed off, not wanting to dredge up the horrible nightmares that plagued his dreams. Cragen held onto his hand._

_"It's ok Elliot. We don't have to talk about that now. The important thing is for you to get better. And, of course, we'll all be here for you every step of the way."_

_"Detective Stabler." The doctor continued."You were seriously injured. I won't go into all the details just yet, but when you arrived here, you were dehydrated and malnurished. Most of your ribs were broken and both of your shoulders were dislocated. Your right arm is fractured, your left broken in two places, as well as your left wrist. Both of your legs were broken, although your right leg was broken in seven places. I won't list the rest of you injuries now, but I have to caution you that you have many months of physical therapy ahead. We'll try to make you as comfortable as possible, but the road ahead won't be easy. It's good to see that you seem close to your fellow officers, which will come in handy as you recover. I'll come check on you later today, but I have another patient to see. Just call me if you need anything detective, and I mean anything." Doctor Vickery simply nodded to the captain as he slipped out of the room. Elliot looked up at his captain._

_"Captain----"_

_"It's ok Elliot. I'm not going anywhere. We're here for you." With the captain's reassuring words fresh in his mind, Elliot's exhausted body beckoned to the darkness around him._

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One Week Later...

"Captain Cragen?" The captain looked up from his desk to his visitor.

"Something wrong, Officer Roberts? Or do you just like to come in my office whenever you feel like it?" Don snapped.

"I'm sorry for the intrusion, sir, but there is a Detective Michaels and a Detective Lee here to see you."

"And who the hell are they?"

"They're here from IAB, sir."

"Damn it! Send them in, Roberts." Captain Cragen ran his hand over his face as a feeling of dread fell over him. "Detectives, how can I help you today?" Don sarcastically stated as the detectives were ushered in to his office.

"I'm Detective Lee, and this is my partner Detective Michaels."

"Well, that's great that we know each others name now, but I really don't have the time to deal with you people today. I have a bunch of paperwork to finish and the press breathing down my neck." Cragen anxiously went back to his work hoping that the two would go away. Lee spoke up again.

"That can be finished later, Captain. But now we are following up a complaint against one of your detectives. We're here to investigate the assault against a Jason Branson by Detective Elliot Stabler." Cragen dropped his pen on his desk and couldn't find his voice. A moment of silence hung in the air as Cragen finally spoke up, his jaw clenched in anger.

"You guys can get you asses out of my precint!" Cragen's face turned red in anger. Lee sat defiantly in a chair and spoke up.

"We're not leaving until we get some answers, Captain. Now. Was there a complaint filed to you by Branson's lawyer, claiming that Detective Stabler assaulted him?"

"That so-called complaint was made by the same person who kidnapped Detective Stabler and tortured him for two weeks. And if you would have been watching the news instead of having your noses up some politicians-----"

"We know what happened, Captain." Michaels interrupted. "It was all over the news. But kidnapped or not, that still doesn't give Detective Stabler a free pass to assault a suspect! And don't forget about the witness."

"Would you guys really sink that low? Are you really going to launch an investigation against a fellow cop who almost died...who is still in the ICU recovering? The person who witnessed this was Branson's sister-in-law. And might I remind you that the witness' husband was also one of the ones that tortured my detective!"

"Just because the witness is related to the suspect, doesn't make her testimony any less valuable. There is no evidence that she even knew about the kidnapping." The captain rose from his chair and glared down at the IAB detectives.

"You guys just don't get it, do you? She said she witnessed it. She knew that I would be forced to send him home, where she knew that Branson was waiting for him!"

"You can believe whatever you like, Captain. But we spoke to Branson and his sister-in-law earlier this morning, and they both still claim that Detective Stabler attacked him. Now, until further notice we are suspending Detective Stabler. We are going to need to confiscate his badge and his gun until this investigation is complete." Michaels and Lee got up from there chair. "Don't go anywhere, Captain. This investigation is far from over." As Cragen watched the two IAB detectives exit his precint, Cragen stood speechless behind his desk. He recovered from his trance and hurriedly walked to this door.

"Fin! Munch! My office. Now."

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Meanwhile...

"Hey, El. How are you feeling this morning?"

"I'm fine, Liv." Olivia's eyes held concern for her partner as she watched him groan in pain. She watched as he carefully tried to position his body to a position that would better accommendate his tender injuries. Elliot's eyes closed tightly as he tried to fight back the pain. Finally, Olivia could keep quiet no longer.

"Do you need me to get Dr. Vickery to get you some pain medication?" Olivia took Elliot's still injured hand in hers and was suprised when he jerked it away from her grasp. Fury flashed in Elliot's blue eyes.

"What? You don't think that I can handle it? You think that I need to be on some damn pain medication 24/7 because I'm too damn weak to do it on my own?" Olivia was speechless for a moment at Elliot's anger. She finally pulled up a chair and sat next to him.

"Elliot, no one thinks your weak. I was-----"

"Then why is everyone treating me like some kind of invalid. I'm not a child. I understand that you think less of me cause I let myself get kidnapped and----"

"Whoa, El! No one thinks less of you because you were kidnapped. El, he had a gun and Daniels was there too. It wasn't fair and you didn't have any warning that any of this was going to happen. None of us did."

"That may be true, Olivia. But what kind of detective lets himself be kidnapped? Answer me that since you seem to have all the answers!" Before Olivia could speak, there was a knock on the door. Olivia turned to see their captain stick his head in the room.

"Detective Benson. Can I see you outside for a moment?" Cragen held the door open as Olivia passed him to the hallway. "Are you ok, Elliot?" Cragen questioned. Elliot turned his body away from his fellow officers.

"I'm fine, Captain." Elliot muttered. "Just fine." A wave of concern passed over the Captain as he shut the door and turned to Olivia.

"Olivia, we need to talk." Cragen ushered Olivia to a chair in a vacant waiting room and retold the events of that morning. Olivia gasped in disbelief and horror when she heard of the developments that had taken place. When Cragen finished, he waited for Olivia to gather her thoughts and speak. She finally spoke in a strained whisper.

"Those bastards!...Damn it! What are we going to tell Elliot?"

"The truth." Cragen said simply.

"Do you think he can handle that right now, Captain?" Don just shrugged his shoulders as Olivia continued. "Let me tell him, Captain."

"No, Detective. As his commanding officer, it's my duty to inform him that he is being investigated by IAB and that he is being suspended until the investigation is complete. It is also my duty to take away his badge and gun." Cragen responded sadly as he stood up from the chair he was sitting in. "Now, I just need to find out how I'm going to break the news to Elliot."

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Olivia asked.

"I don't **want** to do it, Olivia. But..." Cragen ran a hand over his sleep deprived face as he walked over to Elliot's door and knocked. "Elliot? Got a minute?"

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**Yeah! Another chapter complete! Please read and review! I'm not getting that many reviews anymore :( Well, I hope you are enjoying it so far. Hey! I have a cool game! How 'bout ya'll guess where this story is headed. I want to see if I'm doing my story right...mwhahahahahahahahaha**


	17. Alone

**OK. Sorry about the long wait again. I get so caught up with work and school that I don't have much time to myself. Plus, I had such a writer's block with this chapter. I hate those so much. Well, hope you enjoy the chapter! And remember...more reviews help me update faster. **

**PS. Dick Wolf still won't share L&O with me. Maybe next time...**

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Previously...

_"Olivia, we need to talk." Cragen ushered Olivia to a chair in a vacant waiting room and retold the events of that morning. Olivia gasped in disbelief and horror when she heard of the developments that had taken place. When Cragen finished, he waited for Olivia to gather her thoughts and speak. She finally spoke in a strained whisper._

_"Those bastards!...Damn it! What are we going to tell Elliot?"_

_"The truth." Cragen said simply._

_"Do you think he can handle that right now, Captain?" Don just shrugged his shoulders as Olivia continued. "Let me tell him, Captain."_

_"No, Detective. As his commanding officer, it's my duty to inform him that he is being investigated by IAB and that he is being suspended until the investigation is complete. It is also my duty to take away his badge and gun." Cragen responded sadly as he stood up from the chair he was sitting in. "Now, I just need to find out how I'm going to break the news to Elliot."_

_"Are you sure you want to do this?" Olivia asked._

_"I don't **want** to do it, Olivia. But..." Cragen ran a hand over his sleep deprived face as he walked over to Elliot's door and knocked. "Elliot? Got a minute?"_

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Elliot heard the knock at his door and turned to see his captain standing in the door way. Light flooded in from the brightly lit hallway and cast shadows across his hospital room. Elliot remained silent as he turned his attention back to the white-washed ceiling, ignoring his captain's question. Elliot heard his captain's footsteps draw closer as Elliot shut his eyes.

"How are you feeling, Elliot?" Elliot opened his eyes to see his captain bring a chair over to the side of his bed and sit down softly.

"I'm fine, Captain." Elliot said tightly as he tried to hide the pain that he was feeling. Cragen was about to speak again when Elliot suddenly interrupted him, fury flashing from his eyes. "And I don't need that damn medication! Damn it! What is it with you and Olivia thinking that I can't handle this on my own? That I need some medicine to make everything all right. I know I let you guys down, but the least you could do is pretend that I'm capable to get through this on my own!" The room was silent for a moment as Elliot anger settled over the room before Cragen spoke softly.

"First of all Elliot, we don't blame you for any of this. Secondly, I know that you can handle this on your own, but you're like family to us, and we want to take care of you. SVU wouldn't be the same without you." Cragen looked into Elliot's blue eyes and watched as the deep anger in his eyes slowly turned to regret.

"I'm sorry, Captain. It's just that I feel so damn helpless about everything. I can't even feed myself or take a drink of water. I can't do anything except think about..." Elliot struggled with his emotions as tears threatened to overtake him. "I guess my biggest fear is that if I don't fully recover, I can't go back to SVU. The Chief of Detectives wouldn't want some crippled detective on his payroll. I would be forced to do desk duty the rest of my life...I love my job, Captain--I don't want to lose that too." Cragen looked down at his hands as he tried to prepare in his mind what he would tell Elliot.

"Elliot, we need to talk." Elliot over at his captain and noticed that he was nervously averting his eyes from his detective.

"What is it, Captain?" Don looked up into Elliot's pained blue eyes.

"Elliot, I have to take away your badge and gun." Cragen said bluntly. Elliot's eyes went wide with suprise.

"If this is about what I just said Captain, I really didn't mean it. I'm sorry! Ple----"

"It's not about that." Cragen interrupted. " Do you remember why I suspended you and sent you home?" Elliot could only nod his head as he was rendered speechless. "Well, IAB visited me today, and informed me that Branson still insist that the assault took place, and his sister-in-law is still corroborating the story. IAB is taking it seriously and are investigating. They told me that I have to take your badge and gun. IAB is suspending you until the investigation is complete. I can't do anything about it, Elliot. Apparently, there are some people in IAB who would really like to see your badge taken away and you off the force. I'm so sorry, Elliot. I will do everything in my power to make sure that it doesn't happen." Silent tears ran down Elliot's cheek as his mind comprehended the news. After a few minutes of complete silence, Elliot spoke up in a strained, whispered voice.

"Haven't I been through enough? It's not enough that Branson and Daniels took my freedom and tried to take my life, but now they want to take my job? It's not fair----"

"Oh, it's fair, believe me." Elliot and Cragen turned around to see who had interrupted their conversation. Elliot stared at the two new faces in confusion, but Cragen jumped out of his chair in anger.

"What the hell are you guys doing here? This is ICU, there are no visitors allowed...especially you."

"Don't worry about that, Captain. We are the exception to that rule." The two visitors saw the confusion written on Elliot's face and walked over to his bedside. "And you must be Detective Stabler." Elliot looked up to his captain still confused by the scene in front of him. Cragen glared at the two intruders while responding to Elliot.

"Elliot. I'd like you to meet Detectives Michaels and Lee from IAB. I'm sure they came by to wish you a speedy recovery and are going to leave as soon as possible." Elliot's face grew stony as he looked at the men.

"Oh, quite the contrary, Captain. See, we came by to make sure you had that little chat with Detective Stabler here, and that you confiscate his badge and gun. We wanted to spare you the trouble of having to bring it all down to our office, so we came here instead. Plus, we need to get the Detective's statement as soon as possible." Detective Lee said smugly. Cragen stepped between the IAB detectives and Elliot to get him out of their line of fire. His face reddened as he began to speak.

"Detective Stabler will give you his statement as soon as he feels ready. Now is not the time to come badgering a fellow cop while he is still in the hospital."

"Quite the contrary, _Captain_." Lee spewed. "Now is the perfect time to get his statement, seeing there is not much else he _can_ do. And in the mean time, until we get his full statement, Detective Stabler will have no visitors- which includes yourself, Captain. And since visiting hours are over, we will be placing one of our cops outside his door with the instructions that under no circumstance will the Detective have any visitors. Once we are done with Detective Stabler, you can spend as much time with him as you would like."

"You can't do this you son of a bitch!" Elliot yelled angrily. He tried to sit up as the adrenalin began to pump through his body, but the sudden pain made him reconsider and he settled back against his bed with a painful groan. Detective Lee looked at the pained detective as a small grin traced his lips.

"We can, and we will, Detective. And I suggest you keep your tone in check. You are in enough trouble as it is." Elliot looked up at his captain, blue eyes flashing with pain, hurt, and confusion.

"Captain?" Elliot watched as his captain's sorrow-filled eyes found his. A look of resignation passed over the captain's face as he put a gentle hand on his detective's shoulder.

"Elliot. I'll be back as soon as I'm allowed. Just remember that we're behind you 100 percent." Soft tears began to fall from Elliot's blue eyes.

"Captain, please?" Elliot weakly groaned. Cragen began to walk towards the door and turned back to face his detective- his own tears softly falling.

"I'm sorry, Elliot. This is out of my hands. There is nothing I can do." With that, Captain Cragen walked out the door with two IAB detectives close behind. As soon as the door closed behind them, Cragen whirled around in anger to face to two detectives.

"You bastards! You damn bastards! It's not enough that you suspend him, but now you isolate him too? What the hell was going through your mind when you got this report?"

"Do NOT blame this on us, Captain!" Detective Michaels growled. "Now, you and Detective Benson can kindly escort yourselves out of this hospital before I have to call the Chief of Detectives and inform him that you are interfering in an investigation that he personally authorized. So, unless you would like to be brought before the Morris Commission like Detective Stabler will be, then I suggest you get both of your asses out of my sight!" Olivia stood from her chair confused by the scene before her, as she watched Don and the IAB detectives glaring at one another.

"Captain?" Olivia questioned. "What's going on?" Olivia rushed up to catch the captain as he turned and began the journey towards the elevators.

"I'll explain later, Detective." Cragen said with an annoyed sigh.

"What about Elliot?" Olivia asked as the elevator arrived at their floor and the door opened. Cragen remained silent as he got on the elevator and let elevator doors close, watching the IAB detectives and Elliot's new security set up outside Elliot's hospital room---leaving Elliot alone with his thoughts and his pain.

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**R&R Please! You know...that little purplish button in the left hand corner...**


	18. The Interview

Sorry for the long delay. I have been and will continue to travel a lot this summer, so sometimes it will be hard to get to a computer and actually write a chapter. Thanks to all of my faithful readers out there. Hope you enjoy. I suggest you reread the previous chapter to help you refreshen your memory.

PS: L&O:SVU still doesn't belong to me. I tried to sue Dick Wolf for them since I need them more than he does, but my attorney said it wouldn't be worth the effort. sigh...someday.

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_Previously..._

_"Captain, please?" Elliot weakly groaned. Cragen began to walk towards the door and turned back to face his detective- his own tears softly falling._

_"I'm sorry, Elliot. This is out of my hands. There is nothing I can do." With that, Captain Cragen walked out the door with two IAB detectives close behind. As soon as the door closed behind them, Cragen whirled around in anger to face to two detectives._

_"You bastards! You damn bastards! It's not enough that you suspend him, but now you isolate him too? What the hell was going through your mind when you got this report?"_

_"Do NOT blame this on us, Captain!" Detective Michaels growled. "Now, you and Detective Benson can kindly escort yourselves out of this hospital before I have to call the Chief of Detectives and inform him that you are interfering in an investigation that he personally authorized. So, unless you would like to be brought before the Morris Commission like Detective Stabler will be, then I suggest you get both of your asses out of my sight!" Olivia stood from her chair confused by the scene before her, as she watched Don and the IAB detectives glaring at one another._

_"Captain?" Olivia questioned. "What's going on?" Olivia rushed up to catch the captain as he turned and began the journey towards the elevators._

_"I'll explain later, Detective." Cragen said with an annoyed sigh._

_"What about Elliot?" Olivia asked as the elevator arrived at their floor and the door opened. Cragen remained silent as he got on the elevator and let elevator doors close, watching the IAB detectives and Elliot's new security set up outside Elliot's hospital room---leaving Elliot alone with his thoughts and his pain._

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The next day...

Captain Don Cragen looked wearily at the clock as 6 o'clock approached. When he had left the hosital the night before, he had come straight back to the precint with Olivia. They had worked until early in the morning to figure out ways to help Elliot. Finally, at 2am, Don had sent Olivia home to sleep before the start of her shift. He had every intention of falling asleep in the crib once Olivia had left, but his mind had turned to Ellliot, and he had spent the rest of the early morning reviewing all that had happened to his detective in the past few weeks. He knew that he could not do much in the early morning, so finally at 5:30am, he had called Alex for help. Cragen was just beginning to get impatient when Alex rushed in his office just after 6:15am.

"I got here as fast as I could." Alex said breathlessly. "What the hell is going on?" Cragen began to recount the events that had unfolded the previous night. After he had finished, Alex sat in her chair staring at the desk in front of her. Finally Don spoke up.

"Is there anything you can do Alex?" Cragen asked. "Is there any way for you to help Elliot?"

"I can try, Captain. But there won't be much I can do. All a judge will see if that the isolation is used to keep Elliot's testimony from being influenced by us. No judge will keep IAB from doing there jobs." Alex explained.

"That's bullshit!" Cragen fumed. "Elliot was kidnapped, beaten, and tortured for two weeks. He is still in ICU just coming out of a coma. He needs his friends and family there with him, not the rat squad watching his every move." Cragen's face was red with fury.

"I know that, Captain. No judge will interfere with the investigation of police brutality against a 'dirty' cop. I may be able to get a judge to sign off on the length of the isolation. But right now there is nothing I can do."

"I want this done by lunch today!" Cragen spewed.

"He's my friend too, Captain. I want this just as much as you do." Alex whispered. Cragen's voice softened as he saw the hurt expression of the ADA's face.

"I'm sorry Alex. I'm just frustrated about everything and unfortunately, you were the only target. This whole thing is insane. Why would IAB be so adament about Elliot's suspension? The whole police brutality complaint was an obvious distraction. It's one thing to look into the accusation. It's another thing to suspend the guy until you settle the complaint. But you cross the line when you isolate him too. Alex, please rush this and make it your top priority. Elliot needs us on this one." Alex looked down at her watch as Cragen continued to vent his frustrations.

"I need to get started on this." Alex interrupted. "It's 7:30am now, and Judge Pretrovsky should be in her chambers within the hour. Elliot has testified in her courtroom on numerous occasions, so we will have the best change with her." Alex stood up and began to gather her belongings. As she began to walk out the door, she turned back to the captain.

"Don't worry, Don. I'll do the best I can." Cragen gave her a small smile as he watched her turn and head out the door.

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_At the hospital..._

Elliot slowly opened his eyes as he watched the early morning sunlight coming through the window and creeping across the floor into his room. His body racked with pain and he couldn't help but groan in discomfort as the pain continued to assault his body. He closed his eyes and called out.

"Liv." Elliot whispered. "Liv." After a moment when there was no answer, he opened up his eyes again.

"Liv?" Elliot eyes danced across the room. Then the memories from the night before came back in full force. Elliot tried to reach for the nurse call button, but was reminded of the fact that he still had no use of his arms. Ellliot fell back on his pillow in resignation. Just as his eyes closed for sleep, Elliot heard his door open and footsteps walk towards his bed.

"Nurse. Can you please get me some pain medication?" Elliot asked as he opened up his eyes once again. He was suprised to find that it wasn't his nurse who stood by his bed, but detectives Michaels and Lee.

"Rise and shine, Detective." Michaels said.

"What the hell do you want?" Elliot spewed.

"We need your statement." Lee stated rudely.

"Can you please get my nurse?" Elliot asked as he ignored the previous statement.

"Why don't you call the nurse yourself, Detective? Oh! That's right!" Michaels stated menacingly. " Your arms are a little preoccupied right now. Forgive me if I don't cater to you." Elliot chose to ignore the callous comments.

"Please." Elliot begged in a whispered voice.

"What do you need, Detective?" Lee asked in a whispered voice.

"I just need my pain medication. That's all."

"Forget it, Stabler." Michaels spoke sharply. Elliot's head shot up as he stared into the hardened eyes of the IAB detective. "We are here for your statement. We don't need you doped up and falling asleep on us while we talk to you."

"The nurse comes in every morning. I _need_ that medication." Elliot answered almost tentatively.

"Let's see." Detective Michaels said as he snapped up Elliot's chart from the foot of this bed. "It says here that your nurse comes by every morning at 9am to give you your pain medication unless otherwise noted or requested. Request denied, Detective. You'll wait until 9 o'clock as it says. It's seven o'clock now...that gives us two hours." Elliot blinked his eyes rapidly in pain as the two IAB agents setled in that chairs in his room.

"All right, Detective Stabler. Let's begin." Michaels started out. "Can you vouch for your whereabouts on the night in question?"

"Yes. I was at home."

"Can anyone confirm this? Ex-wife? Children? Partner? Girlfriend?" Michaels badgered.

"Like I said before. My partner and I got off work at 9:30pm, and I went straight home. I ate dinner, worked on the case for a little bit, and went to bed around 11:30pm."

"How convenient." Lee said as he rolled his eyes. "Now tell us the truth...where _were_ you?" Elliot continued to answer their questions, but the pain in his body was preventing him from being coherent for a lengthy period of time. Whenever his eyes would begin to close from exhaustion, he would hear Lee or Michaels sharp voice preventing him from much needed rest. They continued to harass and badger Elliot until he heard his door open once again.

"Good mornin------what the hell is going on here!" Elliot looked over and saw his nurse Tracee with a venomous look on her face.

"We are gettind Detective Stabler's statement from him." Lee stated.

"Well, it looks a hell of a lot like you are harassing him! How long have you been here?"

"We have been trying to get his statement since seven o'clock, but if he keeps lying to us, we will be here even longer." Michaels said defensively.

"Like hell you will! You have been talking to him for over two hours!" She looked over at Elliot's pain-filled face. "Do you need your medication Elliot?" Elliot couldn't even nod his head, but closed his eyes in an attempt to block out the blinding pain. Tracee looked back to IAB. "Did he ask you for any pain meds?" When she didn't receive an answer, her fury returned. "This is ICU gentlemen! I will not have people deny a patient pain medication to get a story of police brutality that's bullshit anyways! Detective Stabler is in so much pain he can barely speak! In the future, you WILL wait to continue your witch hunt until after Elliot has his medication and when he feels up to it! Is that understood? I will not accept your neglicence. Next time anything like this occurs, I go straight to the press. You both may leave now!" Tracee spewed. Anger was written all over her face. Michaels and Lee both got up from their chairs quietly. Lee rushed out the door, but Michaels leaned over Elliot's bed and whispered.

"Your friends won't always be around, Detective. You messed with the wrong people." Elliot tried to respond but could only whimper in response as he passed out from exhaustion.

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Give me an R

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Give me a W...What's that spell? REVIEW!


	19. Then Came the Morning

**Well, I really don't have much to say about this chapter. I do have a few suggestions for stories to read. If you love L&O: CI, try reading 'Redemption' by detective-sweetheart, 'Trapped' by blucougar57, and 'No Stone Unturned' by InfinityStar. These are all awesome stories that I really suggest everyone should read. Well, without further ado...**

**Oh, ya...I still don't own L&O: SVU. I know, I know...I can't believe Dick Wolf still won't share them with me...he is so stubborn!**

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_"All right, Detective Stabler. Let's begin." Michaels started out. "Can you vouch for your whereabouts on the night in question?"_

_"Yes. I was at home."_

_"Can anyone confirm this? Ex-wife? Children? Partner? Girlfriend?" Michaels badgered._

_"Like I said before. My partner and I got off work at 9:30pm, and I went straight home. I ate dinner, worked on the case for a little bit, and went to bed around 11:30pm."_

_"How convenient." Lee said as he rolled his eyes. "Now tell us the truth...where were you?" Elliot continued to answer their questions, but the pain in his body was preventing him from being coherent for a lengthy period of time. Whenever his eyes would begin to close from exhaustion, he would hear Lee or Michaels sharp voice preventing him from much needed rest. They continued to harass and badger Elliot until he heard his door open once again._

_"Good mornin------what the hell is going on here!" Elliot looked over and saw his nurse Tracee with a venomous look on her face._

_"We are gettind Detective Stabler's statement from him." Lee stated._

_"Well, it looks a hell of a lot like you are harassing him! How long have you been here?"_

_"We have been trying to get his statement since seven o'clock, but if he keeps lying to us, we will be here even longer." Michaels said defensively._

_"Like hell you will! You have been talking to him for over two hours!" She looked over at Elliot's pain-filled face. "Do you need your medication Elliot?" Elliot couldn't even nod his head, but closed his eyes in an attempt to block out the blinding pain. Tracee looked back to IAB. "Did he ask you for any pain meds?" When she didn't receive an answer, her fury returned. "This is ICU gentlemen! I will not have people deny a patient pain medication to get a story of police brutality that's bullshit anyways! Detective Stabler is in so much pain he can barely speak! In the future, you WILL wait to continue your witch hunt until after Elliot has his medication and when he feels up to it! Is that understood? I will not accept your neglicence. Next time anything like this occurs, I go straight to the press. You both may leave now!" Tracee spewed. Anger was written all over her face. Michaels and Lee both got up from their chairs quietly. Lee rushed out the door, but Michaels leaned over Elliot's bed and whispered._

_"Your friends won't always be around, Detective. You messed with the wrong people." Elliot tried to respond but could only whimper in response as he passed out from exhaustion._

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Later that day...

Cragen was still vigorously working on paperwork when Alex rushed into his office later that day.

"Captain!" Don's head shot up from his paperwork to see Alex standing in his office slightly out of breath. "I got it!" Cragen stood up from his chair and moved around his desk to stand next to Alex.

"What did you get?"

"The limitation on Elliot's isolation. I asked Judge Petrovsky as soon as she was available, and once she heard the facts, she was more than happy to sign it."

"Thank God! How long did she set the isolation?" Cragen asked.

"She limited it to three days. She said that if they couldn't get all they needed in that time, that they would have to wait until Elliot got out of the hospital and he was feeling better. I think Judge Petrovsky wanted to help Elliot in any way she could. Most other judges would have set it at a week." Alex said proudly.

"Three days..." Cragen trailed. "That's tomorrow! Finally! Something goes right for Elliot! Are you busy or can you go with me to the hospital to shove this in IAB's face?" Alex didn't say a word, but gathered her belongings with a smile as she followed the SVU captain out the door.

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At the hospital...

Michaels and Lee had continued to interrogate Elliot when conversation ceased with a knock at the door. The IAB detectives looked up to the security guard that was posted outside of Elliot's door annoyed at the intrusion.

"Excuse me, Detectives." The officer whispered apologetically. "But there is a Captain Cragen and ADA Cabot outside to see you." Fury flashed over the faces of the two detectives. They both jumped out of there seats and turned to Stabler.

"Stay the hell where you are, Stabler. This session isn't over yet." With that, both detectives headed out the door to an exhausted looking captain and ADA.

"What the hell do you two want? I distinctly remember you being under orders to keep your asses away from this room." Michaels stated tersely. Alex looked at him and spoke up.

"We're here with a judge's order."

"What the hell for?" Don stepped foward and took over for Alex.

"To limit Detective Stabler's isolation. Judge Petrovsky agreed that IAB shouldn't have free reign to how long this isolation goes on. You can read it gentlemen, but the judge thinks three days is enough time to get Elliot's statement. If you can't get it in that length of time, you can finish the interrogation once he is out of the hospital." Cragen smirked as the detective's faces showed anger.

"This is bullshit!" Michaels ranted. "No judge has a right to limit an IAB investigation. Three days is not enough time to get Detective Stabler's statement when he's not even cooperating!"

"And how is he not cooperating?" Cragen asked.

"When the detective keeps repeating the same lie over and over, it's hard to get an official statement!"

"You keep interrogating him even after you have his statement?" Cragen asked increduoulsy. "How do you know he's lying? He's been telling the truth all along, but that's not good enough for you? What has Elliot done to deserve this?"

"Do NOT blame us, Captain!" Michaels vented. "It's not like this is the first time that IAB has been forced to investigate Detective Stabler. If I do recall correctly, he was investigated a few years ago for fantasizing about killing suspects! Then, there are rumors that he was suspended by you, Captain, for trying to get his ex-partner's son off on a crime he committed. And let's not forget about the time that he was investigated by IAB for fatally shooting a fellow cop in the baby formula drug ring; or the time that the FBI and US Marshals investigated him for getting a person in witness-protection killed! His file is one of the thickest files in our department. If you ask me, Detective Stabler's ability as a NYPD detective should have been brought into question a long time before this!" Cragen's face filled with fury.

"Detective Stabler is one of the best detectives on the force, and the best detective at SVU. I will not stand by while you drag his good name through the mud."

"Be that as it may, Captain. But the detective is still under our supervision until tomorrow. So if you'll excuse us, we have an interrogtion to finish." With that, the two IAB detectives turned and stormed back into Elliot's room and slammed the door behind them. Cragen turned to Alex as he began to head towards the elevators.

"Let's go Alex. Elliot's in for a long night, and we have to be here first thing tomorrow morning."

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The hospital: 7am...

The next morning, Cragen, Olivia, Fin, and Munch all headed to the hospital to see Elliot. Alex wanted to join them but had to be in court all day. The previous night had been full of tension and impatience. Each detective had spent the night in the crib, waiting anxiously to get to Elliot as soon as possible. Now, as they stood silently in the elevator head to Elliot's room, they passed worried glances to one another until Olivia spoke up.

"How do you think Elliot's doing, Captain?" Don was silent for a moment before he answered.

"I'm not sure, Olivia. Michaels and Lee were questioning him when Alex and I showed up yesterday. The guard at the door wouldn't let us in the room and we had to wait for IAB to come out. They were upset that they were only given until today to get Elliot's statement, so I'm sure that they are going to spend as much time as they can with Elliot."

The group became silent again as the elevator reached their desired floor. As they began to walk down the hall towards the officer outside of Elliot's room, the door opened and the two IAB detectives stepped outside. Both looked exhausted and wore angry looks on their faces. Their faces turned even more stormy as they saw the SVU squad approach.

"Well, it looks like your just in time." Lee spat. Cragen crossed his arms across his chest defensively.

"You're done here. Pack your things and stay the hell away from Elliot."

"That's not going to happen, Captain." Michaels said.

"What do you mean by that? You had an ample amount of time to get his statement." Cragen questioned.

"We're not satisfied with the...the time we spent with Detective Stabler. He was uncooperative and distant. We have the right to question him again." Michaels spewed.

"This is ICU gentlemen. Of course, he was distant! What did you expect? And you won't come near him again until he is out of the hospital and a judge says you can."

"Don't think for a second that this is over!" Michaels whispered angrily, as he and Lee pushed passed the group of detectives and headed towards the elevators.

"Well, that went gloriously well." Munch said sarcastically as he and his fellow detectives made their way into Elliot's room. As they gathered around Elliot's bed, they saw his face filled with exhaustion and pain. Cragen gently held one hand as Olivia glady took the other. Olivia sat down in a chair previoulsy occupied by IAB and leaned towards her partner.

"Elliot." Olivia whispered kindly. "El, honey. We're here. We're all here for you. Do you need us to get some medication for you?" Elliot was still for a moment and then nodded his head. Fin reached over and pressed the nurse call button as Olivia continued to talk to Elliot. "Do you want to talk about it?" Elliot's blue eyes found her brown ones as he whispered, his voice shaky.

"Liv. They...they wouldn't let me sleep. I was so tired, but they wouldn't let me. I told them the truth, but they didn't believe me." Olivia looked up and saw the anger written on each of the detective's faces on his confession. Tears began to form in Olivia's eyes as Elliot spoke again.

"Can I go to sleep now, Liv? Please?" Olivia's heart broke as tears began to freely fall down her face. She reached her hand up to Elliot's face, soothing it gently.

"Yeah. Go to sleep, El. I've got you. I'll be here when you wake up. Okay? The instant Olivia finished her sentence, Elliot's eyes closed as his body finally was able to succumb to his exhaustion. Olivia, Munch, Fin, and Cragen looked at one another with tears in their eyes, as the room was silent. Olivia had nothing to say. There was nothing any of them could say.

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_That's all folks! REVIEW TIME!_


	20. Release

**Hey everyone! Thanks so much for the encouraging reviews. I am going through a few weeks in this chapter so forgive me if it seems rushed...but, I want to get to the rest of the story. That's right! It's not over yet. Hmmm...not much else to say. Once again...L&O:SVU isn't mine...yet.**

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_The group became silent again as the elevator reached their desired floor. As they began to walk down the hall towards the officer outside of Elliot's room, the door opened and the two IAB detectives stepped outside. Both looked exhausted and wore angry looks on their faces. Their faces turned even more stormy as they saw the SVU squad approach._

_"Well, it looks like your just in time." Lee spat. Cragen crossed his arms across his chest defensively._

_"You're done here. Pack your things and stay the hell away from Elliot."_

_"That's not going to happen, Captain." Michaels said._

_"What do you mean by that? You had an ample amount of time to get his statement." Cragen questioned._

_"We're not satisfied with the...the time we spent with Detective Stabler. He was uncooperative and distant. We have the right to question him again." Michaels spewed._

_"This is ICU gentlemen. Of course, he was distant! What did you expect? And you won't come near him again until he is out of the hospital and a judge says you can."_

_"Don't think for a second that this is over!" Michaels whispered angrily, as he and Lee pushed passed the group of detectives and headed towards the elevators._

_"Well, that went gloriously well." Munch said sarcastically as he and his fellow detectives made their way into Elliot's room. As they gathered around Elliot's bed, they saw his face filled with exhaustion and pain. Cragen gently held one hand as Olivia glady took the other. Olivia sat down in a chair previoulsy occupied by IAB and leaned towards her partner._

_"Elliot." Olivia whispered kindly. "El, honey. We're here. We're all here for you. Do you need us to get some medication for you?" Elliot was still for a moment and then nodded his head. Fin reached over and pressed the nurse call button as Olivia continued to talk to Elliot. "Do you want to talk about it?" Elliot's blue eyes found her brown ones as he whispered, his voice shaky._

_"Liv. They...they wouldn't let me sleep. I was so tired, but they wouldn't let me. I told them the truth, but they didn't believe me." Olivia looked up and saw the anger written on each of the detective's faces on his confession. Tears began to form in Olivia's eyes as Elliot spoke again._

_"Can I go to sleep now, Liv? Please?" Olivia's heart broke as tears began to freely fall down her face. She reached her hand up to Elliot's face, soothing it gently._

_"Yeah. Go to sleep, El. I've got you. I'll be here when you wake up. Okay? The instant Olivia finished her sentence, Elliot's eyes closed as his body finally was able to succumb to his exhaustion. Olivia, Munch, Fin, and Cragen looked at one another with tears in their eyes, as the room was silent. Olivia had nothing to say. There was nothing any of them could say._

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Two weeks later...

Olivia sat supportively by Elliot's bedside waiting for Dr. Vickery to arrive. Over the past two weeks since IAB had left, Elliot had become withdrawn and distant to everyone, including her. When he did open up and talk, he would spend most of the time apologizing for mundane things, like, spilling his water, waking someone up, or moaning too loudly when he was in pain. Olivia kindly explained that he had no reason to apologize for anything, but he still continued to act totally out of character and apologize for anything that he thought would have offended someone. After Elliot had fallen asleep when IAB had left, he slept for the next two days, with much concern from Dr. Vickery and his nursing staff. Dr. Vickery had talked to the SVU squad and explained Elliot's constant need of human interaction and contact. Since then, they had not left Elliot by himself; each person taking turns to sit with their friend. Olivia's thoughts were brought back to the present when Dr. Vickery entered the room.

"Good morning, Olivia, Elliot. How are you feeling this morning, Elliot?" Dr. Vickery asked as he walked into the room.

"I just want out of here." Elliot said, not looking up at the doctor. The doctor looked at his patient sympathetically.

In due time, Detective. Right now I just want to go over your injuries and recovery. Okay?" When Elliot didn't respond, he continued. "Your ribs are healing slowly and you will still need more recovery time for that. All the internal injuries you sustained healed nicely and we couldn't of had a better outcome in that aspect. Now for some really good news. Your right arm is almost completely healed and I will be removing the cast today. Also, your left arm is healing nicely. I am still going to keep that arm in a brace, but I am starting you on physical therapy tomorrow for both your arms. You haven't really used them in the past month/month and a half, so we'll get you started on that right away. You'll being using your arms again before you know it."

Elliot reached his hand over to Olivia's and squeezed it tightly. She looked at Elliot and saw his face more relaxed than she had ever seen it since he got into the hospital. She smiled at him and was suprised to see him reward her with a smile of his own. But just as quickly as he smiled, it vanished in an instant as a look of fear and worry came across Elliot's face.

"Dr. Vickery. What about my legs?" Elliot asked nervously. The doctor sighed before continuing.

"Your left leg is healing nicely. By the time you finish your physio on your arms, your left leg should be ready to begin physical therapy." Dr. Vickery's voice turned serious as he continued. "Your right leg, on the other hand, sustained a lot of damage, Elliot. It was broken is seven places and is going to take a long time to heal. In the mean time, you will have to wear a leg brace, called a calliper, and us a cane to walk. I cannot stress enough the importance of you not aggravating that injury any further. Your physio sessions for that leg will last four to seven months, and during that time, you will have to wear the leg calliper and use the walking stick. I'm very sorry about this, Detective. Now if you'll excuse me, I have some more patients to check on. I'll be back within the hour to remove your cast and get you started on that physical therapy."

The doctor hurried out the door to resume his duties. The room remained silent until the silence was broken when Cragen walked through the door. He had a knowing look on his face as he looked at Elliot's distressed features. He had run into Dr. Vickery when he got off the elevators, and stood there as the doctor explained to the captain what he had just discussed with Elliot and Olivia. Cragen walked over to Elliot's bedside and sat down in an unoccupied chair.

"I'm fine, Cap. What's up?"

"I just wanted to see how you were doing and to give you a few updates." Cragen said.

"Updates?" Elliot asked. "What kind of updates?"

"About the trial." Cragen ventured. "Alex finally got a trial date set. It's set for the end of next month. You should be out of the hospital by then."

"Why the hell should that matter? Did I get selected for jury duty?" Elliot muttered sarcastically. Olivia and Cragen exchanged worried glances as Cragen continued.

"You have to testify." Cragen stated bluntly. Elliot's head shot up as fear and anger crept in his eyes.

"Why?" Elliot whispered. "What? You couldn't get enough evidence?"

"We have the evidence, Elliot, but your testimony is invaluable. The only reason we have definite proof it was them, is because they were there when we rescued you."

"What about the live video feed?" Olivia asked. Cragen turned towards her and spoke again.

"The resolution quality of the video wasn't that great. You really can't make out the faces and it wouldn't be too difficult to cast reasonable doubt with the video alone. That's why we need Elliot." Cragen and Olivia turned to Elliot. His jaw was set, and he wore a look of anger, fear, and betrayal. They turned to each other in confusion as Olivia spoke up.

"El, honey. What is it?"

"What video feed are you talking about?" Elliot asked tightly, his eyes staring at his hands. Olivia and Cragen looked at one another in horror. It had never occurred to them that Elliot either couldn't remember the video or had no clue it was there all together. Nobody spoke for a minute until Cragen decided he had to explain since he was the commanding officer.

"Elliot. Right after they kidnapped you, they sent us a video feed over my email account. It was visual only, no sound, but it was a live feed. We tried to use the video to help find you, but they only sent it to taunt us. They said that they wanted us to watch you die." Cragen said quietly. Tears filled every eye in the room. Finally Elliot looked up.

"I'm sorry, Captain. Olivia, I'm sorry." Olivia looked at him increduoulsy.

"Sorry for what, El? You did nothing wrong."

"I'm sorry you had to see that. I'm sorry that the video caused you so much trouble. I'm sorry that I let all of this happen. I'm sorry that you-----"

"Elliot. Stop apologizing!" Olivia interrupted almost angrily. "None of this is your fault! Okay? Please believe us Elliot when we say it wasn't your fault, okay? Please? You're the only person who shouldn't be apologizing. We should be apologizing to you!"

"But, Liv---"

"No 'buts'. If it will make you feel any better, I'll let you buy me dinner when you get out of the hospital." Olivia teased. Finally Elliot smiled.

"Deal." Elliot said. A moment later he spoke again. "Olivia?...Thank you."

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Two and a half weeks later...

"Ready, Elliot?" Olivia asked happily.

After six and a half weeks in the hospital, Elliot was finally being released. The past two weeks were full of intense physio sessions. Since then, Elliot had full use of his right arm, and his left arm was getting better every day. Elliot looked up and smiled as Dr. Vickery helped him to his wheelchair, after making sure his leg calliper was in place. Elliot was under the instructions to return to the hospital every other day to start physio on his legs. They would concentrate on his left leg first, and then tend to his badly injured right leg. As Olivia pushed Elliot out of his room, they were greeted by a hallway full of people wishing him the best. Many doctors and nurses were there, as well as all of his colleagues. Olivia continued to push Elliot through the sea of well-wishers as she headed out to her car. As soon as they stepped outside of the hospital doors, they were blinded by bright flashes and shouting of dozens of reporters.

"Detective Stabler? Is it true you are on suspension?"

"Detective? Are you being charged for the assault of Jason Branson?"

"Detective Stabler? There's rumor of a cover-up. Is it true?

Dozens of voices began to shout at Elliot all at once. He was blinded by the flashes of their cameras and was momentarily confused. Olivia looked on in horror as she saw Elliot's calm face turn to one of panic. She stood there shocked until Cragen came up behind her, and ushered her and Elliot to the waiting car. Several police officers came over to help block the press from the SVU group. Cragen helped Elliot into the car and got behind the wheel as Olivia climbed in with Elliot. As he drove away shocked, he began to think of all the repercussions this was going to have.

"Shit." he muttered.

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**Sorry. I was going to make it longer, but I have to go to work. REMEMBER TO REVIEW! I HEART REVIEWS!**


	21. Home

**Sorry about the long delay. I have been traveling a lot this summer and haven't been around my personal computer. I will still be traveling some more for a few more weeks, so forgive me if there are no updates until September. Hope you are still enjoying the story...and don't forget-----I HEART REVIEWS!**

_"Ready, Elliot?" Olivia asked happily._

_After six and a half weeks in the hospital, Elliot was finally being released. The past two weeks were full of intense physio sessions. Since then, Elliot had full use of his right arm, and his left arm was getting better every day. Elliot looked up and smiled as Dr. Vickery helped him to his wheelchair, after making sure his leg calliper was in place. Elliot was under the instructions to return to the hospital every other day to start physio on his legs. They would concentrate on his left leg first, and then tend to his badly injured right leg. As Olivia pushed Elliot out of his room, they were greeted by a hallway full of people wishing him the best. Many doctors and nurses were there, as well as all of his colleagues. Olivia continued to push Elliot through the sea of well-wishers as she headed out to her car. As soon as they stepped outside of the hospital doors, they were blinded by bright flashes and shouting of dozens of reporters._

_"Detective Stabler? Is it true you are on suspension?"_

_"Detective? Are you being charged for the assault of Jason Branson?"_

_"Detective Stabler? There's rumor of a cover-up. Is it true?_

_Dozens of voices began to shout at Elliot all at once. He was blinded by the flashes of their cameras and was momentarily confused. Olivia looked on in horror as she saw Elliot's calm face turn to one of panic. She stood there shocked until Cragen came up behind her, and ushered her and Elliot to the waiting car. Several police officers came over to help block the press from the SVU group. Cragen helped Elliot into the car and got behind the wheel as Olivia climbed in with Elliot. As he drove away shocked, he began to think of all the repercussions this was going to have._

_"Shit." he muttered._

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Cragen drove further away from the hospital, angry at the turn of events. Olivia sat in the back seat in silence as she held Elliot who had already fallen asleep in her lap. The city's scenery flew by as she looked out the window in deep thought. Everything was starting to go well for Elliot, and then this had to happen. Olivia was about to join her partner in sleep when she spoke up.

"Hey, Captain. You missed my exit." Olivia glanced over to the driver as he drove in silence. "Captain?"

"What, Benson?" Cragen snapped.

"If Elliot's staying with me, then we need to turn around." Olivia said gently.

"No." He said tersely.

"No? Uhh...Capta------"

"Damn it, Benson!" Cragen said harshly. "Elliot's not staying at your house. With the press breathing down his neck, we don't need an accusation of fraternization against him. I'm pretty sure that once the COD gets word of that little press conference we just had, that I will be getting a personal call from him. You know how much he hates getting bad press, and I don't need to give him further ammunition for chewing out my ass. Elliot's staying at my house. And I don't want to hear a word of protest from you!" Cragen seethed.

A glare from her captain through the review mirror caused her to look away and not say anything. They drove on in silence until they reached the captain's house. Cragen got out and went around to help Elliot out of the car. Elliot was only half awake as Cragen placed him in his wheelchair and helped him into the house. With Olivia's help, Cragen gently placed Elliot in the bed of his spare bedroom, leaving the door open in case Elliot needed anything. They both softly walked out and sat on the couches as silence settled over. Finally Don wiped his hands over his eyes and looked over at his distraught looking detective.

"Olivia." Cragen whispered. "I apologize. I didn't mean to sound as angry as I did. I wasn't mad at you. It's just those damn reporters..."

"Captain. There's no need to apologize. I know that you're under a lot of stress; but Elliot and I are strictly partners. Best friends, yes. Lovers, no. Don't you understand that?"

"I know that you and Elliot are just friends. But think about it this way, Detective. All the press sees is you and Elliot living together. They can't go inside your apartment, so they'll just assume that they know what's going on. Elliot's getting bad enough press coverage as it is, we don't need an accusation like that added to his problems. Elliot's still on suspension and we can't have him showing any signs of impropriety." Cragen explained. Olivia shook her head in understanding.

"I understand, Captain. But it just isn't fair. The press should be focusing on the fact that Elliot survived and was released from the hospital; not some bogus story of assault." Cragen was silent for a moment as he thought back to the day's events.

"Olivia. Go back to the precint. Update Fin and John, finish your paperwork, and then go home. The doctor said that Elliot should sleep through today anyways. Don't worry, Olivia. You really helped out Elliot a lot today."

Cragen got up and gave Olivia a tight hug, as she turned and walked out the door. Cragen sat down and began to flip through the channels on his TV, keeping the volume low as to not wake Elliot. After a while, Cragen fell into a light sleep, exhausted from all that had happened that day. Suddenly, he woke up with a start. He looked around not sure of what had woken him, until he heard a terrifying scream coming from the bedroom.

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Olivia hurried into the precint as she dodged the reporters who had camped outside after the incident at the hospital. Olivia wanted nothing more than to strangle and shoot every one of them. As she rushed into the squadroom, Munch and Fin looked up from their desks, waiting for news. Olivia sat down at her own desk, trying to catch her breath.

"Well..." Munch said. "How did it go?"

"Damn it!" Olivia yelled as she slammed her hand down on her desk.

"That well, huh?" Munch stated.

"Geez! What went on, Liv?" Fin questioned.

"Elliot's staying at the captain's house now. He said that the press might get the wrong impression if he stays with me. But he's my partner, damn it! He shouldn't have to hide because of a bogus allegation! It's bad enough the press was at the hospital. Now, they are going to stay camped outside the precint for God knows how long!"

"Well, it's better they are here. It's only a matter of time until they find out that Elliot's at Cap's house. Then we're really screwed." Fin retorted.

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Cragen shot off the couch and headed for the bedroom, pulling his gun out of its' holster on the way. When Cragen got to the door, he stood there for a moment, gun outstretched. He quickly put it away when he saw that Elliot was in the midst of a nightmare. Elliot began moving his body side to side, and Cragen realized that he must wake Elliot up before he exacerbates his injuries. He moved quickly over to Elliot's bedside and gently tried to shake him to wake him up. Elliot only seemed to get further agitated, so his captain shook him a little harder. Suddenly, Elliot's eyes flew open. Cragen was suprised to find nothing but pure fear in his eyes. Cragen reached out to calm Elliot down, but stopped short when he saw Elliot pull away from him. Both men were still for a moment, before Elliot spoke up.

"Pl...ple...please. D-d-don't hurt me." Elliot pleaded. "Pl-please." Cragen stood momentarily shocked that Elliot would think he would ever hurt him. The doctor had warned him that his behavior might change once he left the hospital, but he never thought it would be this dramatic. Cragen calmly sat on the bed, as he spoke soothingly to Elliot.

"Elliot. It's Captain Cragen. I'm not going to hurt you. I promise. Ok? I'm not going to hurt you." Cragen moved slowly closer to Elliot as Elliot watched him warily. As the captain finally rested a hand on Elliot's shoulder, he felt him flinch underneath the touch, and silently cursed Branson and Daniels for making his detective scared of even him.

"It's ok, detective. It's ok. You're safe. I'm not going to hurt you." Elliot seemed to calm down slightly as he allowed his captain to take him in his arms. Cragen continued to hold Elliot until Elliot fell asleep half an hour later. Don gently pulled the blankets over Elliot's body and made sure that his right leg was comfortably surrrounded by pillows. He then made his way out of the room and took a quick shower that he blasted with cold water. Cragen then made his way over to his bed and plopped down exhaustedly- his emotions and body tired from the day's activities. His mind began racing over what was happening with Elliot before he fell into a deep sleep.

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The next morning, Cragen woke up suprisingly refreshed, but concern for Elliot was still etched on his weathered face. He got up and dressed in khaki pants and a black button down shirt. A knock at the door interrupted him from his daily morning routine. As Cragen made his way to the front door, he prayed it would not be reporters. A look out the window revealed that it was Olivia. Cragen opened the door and ushered her in.

"Olivia. What's up?"

"I don't mean to bother you, Captain, but I just wanted to drop by and see how Elliot was doing before I went into work." she replied.

"Well, I heard him stirring when I walked by his room to answer the door. I was about to see if he wanted anything for breakfast." Olivia and her captain began to walk towards the back of the house where Elliot's room was located. Sure enough, when they got there, Elliot was wiping the sleep out of his eyes with his good hand. He looked up suddenly when he heard the pair at his door.

"Hey, El." Olivia said softly. "Ready for some breakfast in bed?"

"I don't need it in bed Olivia. I'm not an invalid" Elliot replied resentfully. Olivia shot a worried look to Don who just shook his head slightly. Don and Olivia then made their way over to Elliot's bedside and helped him get into his wheelchair. They all made their way into the spacious kitchen and placed Elliot behind the mahogoney table. Cragen began to move around to make eggs and toast for breakfast.

"Do you want some water or orange juice, El?" Olivia said as she got down three glass cups from the cabinet. Elliot thought about it a moment before he spoke up hesistantly.

"Can I have some orange juice, please? Is that all right?"

"Of course!" Olivia said quickly. "Anything you want." Elliot's body seemed to visibly relax. After she handed Elliot his glass of orange juice, she turned back to help Cragen make the eggs and toast. Silence settled over Elliot as Cragen and Olivia whispered quietly about what would need to be accomplished at work that day. The sound of shattering glass interrupted their conversation, and they turned to see that Elliot had dropped his glass of orange juice, breaking into dozens of pieces. Before Cragen and Olivia could make their way over to clean up the mess, Elliot launched himself out of his wheelchair in a flash and settled on the floor. A shocked look fell over his two friends as Elliot began to mumble incoherently at first, and then began to pick up the shards of glass with his bare hands.

"I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to...I promise! I'm s-s-s-sorry!" Elliot said with fear and a scared look on his face. Cragen rushed over and knelt beside Elliot whose hand were beginning to bleed from the glass in his hands. Cragen put his hands on Elliot's shoulders and tried to pull him away from the mess.

"NO!" Elliot said forcefully, as he pulled out of his captain's grasp. "It was an accident. I'm sorry! Please d-don't hurt me." Elliot was still picking up the glass when Cragen took Elliot's face gently in his hands.

"Elliot." Cragen said softly as tears began to run down Elliot's face. "Remember what I said last night? I'm not going to hurt you. It was an accident and that's ok." Cragen continued to speak softly as Olivia bent down and began to clean up the glass and the liquid that now was mixed with Elliot's blood. Her face was filled with worry and concern over what had just happened. She briefly wondered if Elliot had done any further damage to his injuries by launching out of his wheelchair like he did. Once she was finished, she knelt beside Elliot and Cragen. Elliot seemed much more relaxed. Olivia gently took Elliot's hands and her's and examined the damage done by the shards of glass.

"Captain." she whispered. Cragen looked over to his detective. "We need to get him to the hospital. Some of these are really deep and they are still bleeding." With that new knowledge, Cragen gently wrapped hand towels around Elliot's hands and helped him back into his wheelchair. Don pushed Elliot's wheelchair out to his car and proceeded to help him settle in the front passenger seat and buckle his seat belt. Elliot was asleep before Don started the car.

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_  
At that same time..._

Amid the sounds of a bustling office, a phone rang. An intern reached over and picked up the receiver.

"Channel 6 News. This is Robert Walker. How can I help you?" A soft voice came over the telephone.

"Yes. May I please be transferred to the reporter who is working on Detective Stabler's story?"

"May I ask what this is about?" Walker said cautiously.

"Just tell him that I have some information that he might want." the voice replied.

"Hold please." The voice smirked as he heard the phone being transferred.

"Paul Brandoff speaking. I'm told you have information regarding Elliot Stabler?"

"That's correct." the voice said. "Would you be interested in knowing the where abouts of said detective?" Brandoff sat straight in his desk, holding his breath, and hoping this was not a prank.

"Of course. What am I going to owe you in return, Mr.----uh..."

"I don't want anything. I'm just a concerned, anonymous citizen looking out for the well-being of others. Here's a hint, you will find the detective at the home of his captain, Don Cragen." With those words, the caller hung up. Brandoff wrote furiously on a notepad, and then ran out of his office, requesting a camera crew on the way.

After the caller hung up, he turned to his co-worker.

"See, Detective Lee? That's what happens when you mess with IAB. I warned that detective there would be consequences, and I wasn't lying." Lee looked up with a smirk on his face.

"That was harsh, Michaels." Lee said while laughing. "Maybe next time he'll think twice before he crosses your path."

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**Guess what? I HEART REVIEWS! I'm hoping to get to 100 reviews this chapter. Whoever gets it gets a suprise! Could it be a cookie, a car, or the rights to Law and Order? Who knows! You'll only find out by...reviewing!**


	22. Not Again!

Ok…..sorry for the loooong delay! Here's hoping that it was worth it! As always, please remember to review. Oh! And didn't 'Philadelphia' rock?!?! One of my favorite episodes so far! I suggest reading the previous chapter to help you remember what happened.  
………………………………...

Don Cragen collapsed on his bed in complete exhaustion. He, Elliot, and Olivia had spent most of the day in the hospital….again. While getting ten stitches in his left hand, Dr. Vickery had asked to speak with him and Olivia privately. Dr. Vickery led the two police inside his office and asked questions about how Elliot was handling being away from the hospital. When Don told him about the nightmares, the doctor reassured him that they were normal, but that Elliot's breakdown during breakfast was not. Dr. Vickery left them with careful instructions to keep a guarded eye out for Elliot, and to bring Elliot back to see him if his behavior continued. When Elliot had joined them in Dr. Vickery's office, he would not meet anyone's gaze, and refused to talk to any of them. When Olivia asked if he just wanted to go home, he nodded his head and kept his gaze focused on the carpet at his feet. The entire ride home was filled with silence. When they had gotten there, Elliot informed them that he just wanted to go to bed. Elliot's silence worried Don, and had kept him up most of the night. Olivia had gone home several hours earlier with the promise to come back tomorrow after work. These thoughts soon left him as sleep claimed his body.

Captain Cragen awoke the next day to hear pounding on his door. He glanced over at his alarm clock, and the bright numbers told him that it was 6:30am. He sat slowly up in bed, rubbing the sleep out of his tired eyes. He quickly made his way to the insistent knocking and was surprised to see Alex Cabot standing there.

"Alex." he said surprised. "What's wrong?" Cragen opened up the door further to let Alex in. Alex stepped into the house, shedding her black pea coat.

"Nothings wrong, Captain. I just wanted to tell you that the trial date has been set." Cragen look at her in shock.

"Already?"

"Yes. Apparently the D.A. wants to do it as soon as possible since it is such a high profile case." Don paused a moment before answering.

"Ok. When?" Alex's eyes went downcast as she started to fidget nervously. "Alex!" Cragen yelled, raising his voice. "When!?!" he asked sternly." Alex took a deep breath before answering.

"In two weeks." Don's eyes went wide in shock.

"Two WEEKS? What the hell? Elliot won't be nearly ready by then! Especially not after yesterday!" Alex looked up at Don confused.

"Yesterday? What happened yesterday?" Cragen motioned for Alex to sit on the couch as he told Alex the story of what happened. After a few moments of silence, Alex spoke up with tears in her eyes.

"Wow. He just can't get a break, can he? Well, I don't think that I am going to be able to get the D.A. to change it. He's already given us a lot of grace on this. Just talk to Elliot. I'll start working on him, and he'll be more than ready by then."

"Ok." Don conceded. "Let's go see if Elliot's awake. I'm surprised we haven't heard him by now."

As Don and Alex made there way towards Elliot's room, he laid a comforting hand on her shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze as she wiped away all remaining tears. When he opened the door, they were startled to find that Elliot was not in his bed. Don pushed the door open quickly a frantically looked around the room until his eyes fell on his detective. Casey stood back as she witnessed Elliot, a man she once thought could never be intimidated or frightened, huddled in the corner of the room sobbing uncontrollably. His body was shaking from the tears and faint whimpers could be heard over the tears. Don rushed over to Elliot and was not surprised when he flinched under his touch. Elliot's sobs only rose louder, and Cragen looked up desperately to Alex who stood there shocked. Alex heart melted when she held her breath and heard Elliot repeating the same phrase quietly.

"I'll be good. I'll be good. I'll be good." Alex's tears began to fall once more as she rushed over to comfort her friend. She threw her arms around him and held him close, letting his tears run down her neck.

"Shhh." Alex said soothingly. "It's alright, Elliot. I'm right here. Don't be afraid." Casey sat on the floor with her arms around him for several minutes before Elliot finally began to calm down. As his tears subsided, he pulled away from Alex and wiped his blood-shot eyes with the back of his hand. Both looked to the bedroom door when Cragen came in with is wheelchair.

"Ready for some breakfast, Detective?" Cragen asked. As Elliot confirmed it with a nod, Alex and Elliot carefully helped their friend. Cragen proceeded to push Elliot out to the kitchen as Alex began gathering her things. She walked back over to Elliot and bent down to give him a hug.

"Thanks, Alex." Elliot said as he gave her a small smile. Alex smiled back with a wide grin.

"Anytime, Elliot. I'm coming by again tonight. I have to talk to you." Elliot's face turned serious as he realized that this was probably about the trial. He turned his face away from her gaze as Don gave her a sympathetic look. As she opened to door to step outside, bright flashes from cameras and overzealous reporters began to call out to her. Alex took a quick, surprised step back, and looked at Don's shocked expression. Alex left quickly expecting a call from the D.A. as soon as she appeared on the news. Don Cragen watched Alex go, and felt another headache coming along.

"Damn! Not again!"

Ok. That's all for right now. This was basically just a transition chapter to set you up for the next one. The next chapter will be almost two weeks later right before the trial begins. Believe me, this story is so far from over. But, I could use some help….anyone have any ideas about what should happen next. As always review. I should update next week….it's SPRING BREAK!!!! 


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